Saburo's Tournament
by AllynDM
Summary: When thirty-two of the universes most powerful fighters are dragged into a strange man's bloodthirsty sense of entertainment, who will be the victor? The ninjas of Konoha or the mages of Fairy Tail?
1. Universal Faction Tournament!

**_Saburo's Tournament_**

**CHAPTER 1**

**Universal Faction Tournament**

* * *

><p>"An S-Rank Mission?" Naruto asked loudly, completely taken aback by the woman's statement. The boy had blue eyes and blonde, spiky hair, accompanied by whisker marks on his face. He wore a form fitting orange and black tracksuit that matched his black Leaf headband. He shook his head quickly to regain his initial focus and attentiveness.<p>

"Yes, Naruto," the female Hokage answered, seated in a blue chair behind a wood desk that circled halfway around her. There were various books and documents littered across the room as usual. The woman seated behind the desk was fairly tall, light-skinned with golden-amber eyes, and had straight blonde hair. "You and many other ninja from the Hidden Leaf Village shall be summoned, including myself."

"You're going too, Granny Tsunade?" He asked, scratching the back of his head. "If you, the Hokage, are going, then it must be _really_ important." Naruto put a lot of emphasis on 'really'.

"It's a serious matter that's to be handled by our most powerful forces," she explained. She picked up a document and appeared to be reading it. "The other ninjas should be arriving soon, so you can just wait here for the moment." Her gaze didn't transfer from the document.

"An all-star team, eh?" Naruto grinned happily at the thought of it. "There's no way we can fail this mission!"

"That's a good attitude, Naruto," said a calm voice. Naruto's eyes looked past Tsunade and at the man that stood on the windowsill. The man wore the standard Jounin flak jacket with iron plated gloves. With the help of his forehead protecter, his face mask concealed his lower face and his left eye. He had tall and spiky white hair and wore an easygoing, lazy expression.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto grinned at the arrival of the ninja, but Tsunade didn't share the happiness.

"Kakashi," she called out. "I would appreciate if you used the door next time."

"Oh, right. Sorry about that..." Kakashi scratched the back of his head innocently before leaping down and walking over towards Naruto. The three then turned and faced the door as it opened slowly. Like a horde of zombies, a mass of people squirmed into the tight room. Kakashi counted thirteen heads after the door shut once again.

"It's seems you've all arrived," said Tsunade looking back down at the document. She then began to read off names and look up from time to time. "Guy, Kakashi, Yamato, Neji, Sakura, Kiba, Shikamaru, Sai, Choji, Lee, Hinata, Shino, Tenten, Ino, and Naruto." Each person nodded after they heard their name. Tsunade seemed satisfied as she put her document back down and looked up again.

"Eh? We've got almost every capable ninja in this room," noticed Sakura, a pink haired girl.

"That's true. This mission must be quite serious," said Captain Yamato blankly. "I'm assuming that we'll be doing something strenuous."

"Whatever it is, I'm sure we can do it," said Sai with a plastered smile on his face. Neji and Shino stood silently, giving no hint of excitement nor disappointment.

"Now, all of you have been called here for one reason," said Tsunade, standing up from her chair. "We shall all be going on a high-stake S-Rank mission that requires the best of the Hidden Leaf's ninja!" After saying this, a few people's eyes sparkled with excitement while other's jaws dropped in shock.

"What are we waiting for?" Rock Lee asked, burning with excitement.

"Nothing at all," smirked Tsunade. The room suddenly turned bright, forcing everybody to close their eyes and wait for the light to die down.

**...**

"Whoa!" Natsu shouted, slamming his palms onto the bar counter. He was a lean, well-built young man of average height. His skin complexion had a minor tan, and he also had black eyes and spiky rose-colored hair. He wore a scarf around his neck that was detailed with pale scales above his black waistcoat with gold trimmings over his chest. He wore no shirt underneath the waistcoat, but he was equipped with short, white trousers that went down to his knees. "Are you serious?"

"Absolutely, Natsu," replied the elderly man from atop the bar counter. Although he was sitting, it was obvious that he was extremely short. He also had black eyes and was growing quite bald with only the edges of his head containing white hair. He also sported a thick, white mustache. "It's going to be a group S-Class Quest with exceptions. I've created a group of sixteen allowed to go on this Job."

"Awesome!" Natsu grinned happily at this information that was being told by the Guild Master, Makarov Dreyar. "So who's the group of sixteen?" He turned and looked at the mass of guild members behind him, all of who were paying close attention to what Makarov was saying.

"Hmm," he scratched his chin. "Erza Scarlet." A red-haired woman that was quite intimidating in appearance and reputation stepped out of the crowd. "Mirajane." A few people were surprised by this choice, seeing as Mirajane appeared quite peaceful at first. "Laxus..." Everybody turned to look at the yellow-haired man who was seated away from the crowd, indulged in his music that he played through his headphones.

"All these guys are S-Class," noticed a random guild member from the center of the crowd.

"You're right, we have no chance," agreed a second guild member. Natsu could see the disappointment in his comrade's faces as they parted from the crowd.

"Bickslow, Evergreen, and Freed," continued Makarov. The three named members stood proudly together near Laxus, who seemed to be uninterested in the matter.

"The Raijin Tribe..." whispered somebody in the crowd. More people became discouraged and sat down at various tables.

"Juvia and Gajeel." Eyes glanced towards the black-haired Iron-Dragon slayer, but he looked as intimidating as ever, making the people change focus to Juvia.

"Juvia is going?" Juvia referred to herself in third-person. She was a young woman with blue-hair, pale skin, and a curvaceous figure. Her hair was tightly curled at the base, and she wore a navy blue coat, a fur shawl, as well as a Russian Cossack Hat. Makarov simply nodded in reply before continuing on.

"Natsu and Gray." A large grin spread across Natsu's face, as well as the shirtless and dark-haired Gray's.

"Hell yeah!" Natsu shouted as he let loose a stream of fire towards the ceiling. This act discouraged even more members, as they also cleared out.

"And lastly...Lucy, Cana, and Wendy!" Makarov announced to the three females that all stood seperate of each other. The brown-haired and curvaceous Cana appeared to be surprised as she nearly spit out her beer. After a brief moment a silent proudness, Erza finally spoke.

"That's only fifteen, not sixteen..." Erza was a young woman with long, scarlet hair and brown eyes. She had a slender figure that could be described as amazing by some, and was complimented by large breasts. She wore a custom-made armor made by Heart Kreuz smiths, a blue skirt, and black boots. On the middle of her left upper arm, there was a blue Fairy Tail stamp.

"Well the sixteenth member isn't here yet, but he'll arrive eventually," said Makarov looking down at the ground. "But don't worry. This Job should be quite exciting and fun-filled with many battle opportunities."

"Battle opportunities?" Gray repeated. "Against who?" The others all listened in, also curious of who they would be fighting against.

"Ninja from the Village Hidden In The Leaves." Everybody's eyes widened as the room turned a glaring white, but everyone soon had to shield their eyes from the light.

**...**

Two large cubes that appeared to be made of light, or something similar, expanded over one hundred square feet each, granting the two groups that materialized inside them enough space to move around freely and spread out. Outside the cubes was what appeared to be some sort of room with tall pillars edging the sides and a large throne near the back.

"So you're finally here," said a man who sat upon the throne. He had long, black hair that split into two at the back of his head and his eyes were dark red. Four zig-zagging scars ran down the man's face, stretching from his eyebrow down the crease on the left side of his lip. He looked noble as he wore a long, white cape with gold edgings. He also wore galliant white gloves that had gold edges to match. Even while seated and at a distance, it was able to discern that the man was rather tall. "I was hoping to get this 'event' started earlier than this, but I guess its alright."

"Who the hell is that guy?" Natsu asked to Makarov, who stared at the noble-looking man.

"Yeah, Granny Tsunade! Who is that guy and who are those guys?" Naruto glanced at the large cube containing Natsu and his guild members. Natsu slowly glanced at Naruto, allowing the two's gazes to connect, invoking an intense staredown.

"I, my friends, am Saburo Kobayasha," he introduced himself. "And you are Fairy Tail and Konoha, correct?" The two groups turned to to face each other, until the man spoke again. "As Makarov and Tsunade know, I have summoned you here to compete in the Universal Faction Tournament."

"Universal what?" Naruto asked.

"'The Universal Faction Tournament', is what he said," Kakashi repeated calmly, despite the situation at hand being totally fictitious in essence.

"A tournament?" In the other cube, Natsu turned to Master Makarov. "We're competing in a tournament?" A large grin spread across the young man's face as Makarov nodded as if to signify 'yes'.

"Isn't this a little bit...outrageous?" Lucy asked to nobody in particular. "I mean, come on...this must be dream, right? There's no way something like this could be possible," she continued. Everybody else was too focused on Saburo to answer her question.

"Whether you believe this to be reality or a dream," started the black-haired orchestrator. "...you better fight like your life depends on it." You could literally hear the mass amount of 'gulps' as people cleared their throats. "Now then, I have introduced myself and informed you of what you are competing in. Is that enough information for you to win?" He asked. Seeing as nobody replied or answered, he began to talk again. "If there are no questions, then we shall began the first match."

"Already?" Yamato asked, sweat dropping from his brow.

"I guess this guy's pretty serious about this tournament," shrugged Ino.

"Yeah, a little _too _serious," commented Choji as he rubbed the back of his pudgy neck.

"The first match shall be..." Saburo took a long pause in order to build up the dramatic suspense. "...Kiba Inuzuka vs. Bickslow of the Raijin Tribe, and there will be no further discussion."


	2. Of Dogs and Dolls

**_Saburo's Tournament_**

**CHAPTER 2**

**Of Dogs And Dolls **

**_Kiba vs. Bickslow_  
><strong>

* * *

><p>The glorious throne room suddenly became enveloped in a sudden shroud of blinding light. When the light dimmed down to a normal level, the environment had changed, shocking the competitors. They soon found themselves in what appeared to be the center of a town, with multiple buildings and alleys around it. The two cubes of light were smack-dab in the center of the town's plaza.<p>

"Looks like your up first, Kiba," Naruto grinned as he patted his comrade on the back. Kiba had messy brown, sharp black eyes with vertical slit-like pupils, pronounced canine teeth, and nails that complimented his wild appearance. On his cheeks were distinct red fang markings of the Inuzuka clan. He wore a leather form fitting black jacket, with zips over the chest and sleeves, along with black pants and sandals to match.

"Yahoo!" Kiba grinned happily as he stepped towards the edge of the light cube. A door suddenly formed from the containment cube and it proceeded to swing open. "Let's go Akamaru!" Kiba stepped outside of the cube and looked to his left towards his opponent.

"Hey there," his opponent smirked. The man was tall and had a mildly muscular figure. His upper body was covered in dark, mildly fitting cloth covered with vertical white stripes, which extended up to his head to cover it in a tight hood, exposing only his hands and his lower face. The upper part of his face was obscured by a metal visor reminscient of a Medieval sallet, which came covered with eight small, elongated holes, with four of them in front of each of his eyes. He also wore large armbands, and long shoulderpads with skulls on its center. His waist was circled by a simple dark band, which held up his massive waistgaurd made of cloth that extended below his knees. "My babies want to have fun!" Hovering around him, there were four small objects that resembled faces of a totem pole.

"Fun!" The small totems repeated excitedly as they moved back and forth around their Master's head.

"Now, let match one begin!" Soburo shouted loud enough for everybody in the vicinity to hear.

"If I win this, I could possibly get a rematch with Naruto," hoped Kiba. He was seated on top of a large dog with white fur. The ninja dog, Akamaru, eyes were closed and he had a dark brown nose, as well as dark brown patches on his ears and a dark outline around his mouth. The fur on top of its head was styled to somewhat resemble a mohawk.

"You can talk to yourself if you want, but my babies are going to attack regardless!" Bickslow stuck his tongue out as his dolls sped towards Kiba and Akamaru, who weren't quite expecting it.

"Too slow!" Kiba shouted as Akamaru veered to the side of Bickslow, passing the dolls up entirely. Kiba leapt off his large dog and attempted to slash at Bickslow, but the tall man leapt backwards. "Whoa there! Don't scare me like that, dog guy," teased Bickslow. Before Kiba could land on the ground, three of Bickslow's dolls slammed into his side, sending him sprawling to the side.

"They both have partners," noticed Naruto, pointing at the mans dolls, although everybody had already seem them before the fight officially started.

"This is more like a six on two fight," said Kakashi as watched the beginning of the battle calmly. "Kiba should not drop his guard against this 'Bickslow' guy. He's at a disadvantage when it comes to numbers, and his opponent appears to be able to control those five dolls with ease."

"Alright, Akamaru," began Kiba. "Beast-Human Clone!" The large dog quickly morphed into a perfect replica of Kiba, but he appeared to be more animalistic than the actual Kiba. That problem was quickly solved as Kiba shouted, "Ninja Art Of Beast Mimicry: All-Fours Justu!" Kiba's canine teeth, fingernails, and toenails grew to a claw-like length.

"What's this?" Bickslow asked, staring at the two identical beings. "It doesn't matter, I'll just take you both down!"

"Both down!" The dolls repeated. A barrage of green blasts were then emitted from the dolls' mouths, firing right towards Kiba and Akamaru. The two dashed to either sides of the onslaught of blasts and began to charge towards Bickslow.

"Man-Beast Ultimate Taijutsu: Fang Over Fang!" Kiba and the Kiba-replica kicked off the ground and began to spin in the air rapidly, giving them both a tornado like appearance as they converged towards Bickslow.

"X Formation!" Bickslow crossed his arms in front of himself in an "X" shape, prompting four of his totem-like dolls to gather around him in a matching "X"-shaped pattern. The position of the dolls were so precise that they blocked the drill-like attack from Kiba and Akamaru that were targeted for Bickslow. "You two attack together, and it's a real pain."

"Darn it," muttered Kiba as he and his identical partner leapt backwards and landed on all-fours in front of Bickslow. "Let's go again, Akamaru!" Kiba and Akamaru launched another Gatsuga attack, but this time, from a much closer ranger. _I caught him! _Not having enough time to defend like he did previously, Bickslow simply turned away and dashed down an alley.

"He ran?" Rock Lee asked, slightly disturbed by the man's cowardly reaction to the close-range attack. Kiba quickly stopped his attack, seeing as his target was gone, and turned and ran towards the alley, Akamaru in Kiba's form following close behind him.

"I can't see what's going on!" Natsu complained as he was unable to view what was transpiring in alleyway between Kiba and Bickslow. Others nodded and added to the complaints, but they were quickly silenced.

"Human Beast Combination Transformation: Double-Headed Wolf!" That was all the audience could hear before a building in the alley collapsed, prompting a cloud of dust and smoke to rise before anything could be seen. Another loud noise occured before Bickslow escaped from the smoke, landing back in the plaza. Out of the smoke, a large paw found its way on top of a pillar of rubble.

"I know my babies can handle this thing!" Bickslow's words seemed confident and even arrogant, but his voice told otherwise. Following the paw, a loud roar burst from the smoke, and ultimately blowing it away. The smoke no longer in sight, a large beast stood in its place. The creature appeared to be some sort of grand two-head wolf that was a combination of Kiba and Akamaru.

"What the hell? A two-headed dog!" Lucy and Gray cried out, completely taken aback by the ninja's technique. The Konoha ninja, however, stood smirking, proud of their team member, Kiba Inuzuka and his partner, Akamaru.

"What can this thing do?" Bickslow asked as his dolls hovered around his head. As if to answer his question, the enormous wolf kicked off the ground and began to rotate in midair. As it headed towards Bickslow, it gaining in velocity, giving it a massive tornado-ish drill-like appearance.

"The Wolf Fang Over Fang," muttered Shino. Nobody could tell, but the teen was smirking behind his collar.

"This thing again?" Bickslow asked as he watched the oncoming attack intensely. "Wait...its much more powerful, my babies," he said as he noticed that the attack created a vacuum vortex around it. Parts of surrounding buildings were ripped from their foundations without the Wolf Fang Over Fang even connecting with them. Bickslow finally decided to act as he said, "Baryon Formation." At his command, Bickslow's dolls positioned themselves in a pentagonal pattern high above his head. The dolls then began to spin vortically.

"Kiba's got this!" Naruto grinned as he watched the spiralling double-headed wolf loomed over Bickslow, closing the large distance quickly.

"Not yet, he doesn't!" Natsu shouted back, although he wasn't looking at Naruto, just the battle. Suddenly, all of the Konoha's ninja's jaws dropped as a large whirwind formed from the spinning dolls, the center of which created a massive magical beam that fired directly towards the Wolf Fang Over Fang. The two attacks collided with great force and with amazing velocity, invoking an equally great explosion that rocked the whole environment.

"Juvia can't see anything!" Juvia complained, aimlessly attempted to peer through the smokescreen created from the impact of the two attacks. After Juvia's complaint, Bickslow suddenly appeared backing out of the smoke gripping his face. It was hard to tell, but it appeared to be some sort of dark, yellow liquid on his mask.

"It's a strong acid!" Bickslow quickly realized as he began to remove his mask to prevent further damage.

"Acid!" The dolls mimicked their master. Bickslow finally got a good grip on his metal visor and pulled it off in one motion, just as the smoke cleared, revealing a bloodied Kiba who gripped a kunai knife, and an injured Akamaru. Kiba's eyes widened as they caught a glance of Bickslow's own. His irises each had a concentric circle surrounding the pupils inside them that appeared bright green. Between his eyes was a tattoo of a stylized man extending his long, curved arms.

"Figure Eyes!" Bickslow stuck his tongue out again, but he also lifted his arms triumphantly as his eyes emitted a bright green light. Kiba instinctively shut his eyes to escape the blinding glare.

"Those eyes...they're definitely no Sharingan or Byakugan," began Kiba. "...but I'm confident that they most likely have a pretty harsh ability." He said as he kept his eyes closed.

"So, your eyes are closed?" Bickslow asked rhetorically as he pointed towards his own eyes.

"Yup!" The totem dolls answered for Kiba. They then emitted a green aura and shot forward in a zig-zagging flight pattern towards the ninja. While keeping his eyes closed, he somehow managed to dodge the majority of the speeding dolls, but some succeeded in hitting him. Bickslow proceeded to laugh maniacally, his tongue still hanging out like a panting dog.

"My Doll Possession and Figure Eyes are an unbeatable combination!" He watched as his green-lit dolls assaulted Kiba, who was still attempting to dodge the tackles of the dolls.

"Can Kiba really win without his eyesight?" Naruto asked, starting to get worried about the outcome of the fight.

"There's no need to worry about his eyesight, Naruto-kun," said Hinata, flustered while speaking to him.

"She's right," agreed Kakashi. "Kiba's chakra-enhanced sense of smell is greater than the average nin-dog. He shouldn't have much trouble finding where Bickslow is at, but..." Kakashi trailed off as he watched Kiba get hit firecly in the stomach by one of the dolls. "...he still has to get past those dolls in order to win." As if hearing Kakashi's words, which he probably did, Kiba tossed two purple spheres towards Bickslow's direction as he somersaulted over an ambushing doll.

"Eh?" Bickslow watched curiously as the two small orbs emitted a purple gas as the rolled towards him. They then exploded into a complete purple smokescreen, forcing Bickslow to temporarily subside his doll's assault on Kiba. "Hey now! My babies can't see you!"

"That Kiba-guy did pretty good to survive against Bickslow's assault without even having his eyesight," Lucy complimented. The purple smokescreen that had wrapped around the battlefield and the two cubes began to clear away with every passing second.

"Hey! Where'd you go?" Bickslow asked, looking around as the purple haze disappeared into the wind, but there was no sign of Kiba. Something large caught Bickslow's attention a little past a lamppost on the edge of the plaza. "He left his dog behind, eh?" Bickslow and his dolls strode towards the large mutt, which appeared to be unconscious.

"Heh," Naruto shared a smirk with Hinata and Shino, as they knew what was about to happen. To the mages of Fairy Tails' surprise, the dog began to expand, becoming balloon-like in appearance until it finally exploded. A volley of kunai knives escaped from the fake-dog trap, catching Bickslow off-guard and destroying all five of his dolls.

"My babies!" Bickslow cried out, watching as his dolls turned into dust after being pierced by the kunai knives. Kiba was then spotted by the onlookers as he exited his hiding place in a nearby townhouse.

"Bickslow has no treasure trove of dolls in this town, like he did in Magnolia when he fought against me," Gray noticed. "Damn it, he's defenseless without his dolls!"

"Don't jump to such conclusions so soon," said Freed calmly as he watched the fight. "He is not as defenseless as you think." In the other cube, the Konoha ninjas were pretty excited about the trap succeeding.

"Alright, Kiba!" Sakura smiled.

"He's got this if he keeps his eyes closed!" Naruto grinned. Shikamaru and Kakashi shared a nervous glance before speaking.

"I don't know if you've noticed, but Kiba's been exhausted and injured since he used the Wolf Fang Over Fang," said Kakashi.

"He doesn't have much energy left, I can tell that for sure," added Shikamaru. "He probably only has enough chakra for one more attack." Naruto's eyes widened as he receiving this information.

"So it's all or nothing with the next jutsu, then?" Naruto gulped.

"Yeah," Yamato answered. "Let's just hope that his opponent doesn't have something hidden up his sleeve." The ninja and mages watched intensely as the battle began to draw to a conclusion.

"Akamaru," Kiba glanced back at the townhouse he was previously hidden in. From the corner of his eye, he could see the original unconscious figure of his dog, instantly angering him again. "You're going to pay, Bickslow!"

"Ehhh?" Bickslow finally stopped groveling over his 'babies' and turned his attention to Kiba. "Hey now, come on. I was having fun, and now you want to end this?" The ninja ignored the man's comment, he instead began to walk towards him. Kiba suddenly kicked off the ground and began to rotate in the air at a ferocious speed.

"Tunneling Fang!" Kiba cried out, as he shot towards Bickslow with a partnerless version of the Fang Over Fang.

"Then there's no other option!" Bickslow declared as he raised his right arm with the index and middle fingers outstretched.

"Here it is, the final attack!" Freed and Naruto cried out in unison. There was a strange feeling as the two factions awaited the outcome of what was to come. Emotions were running high, and tensions were flowing.

"Crush!" Just as Kiba's beastly attack slammed directly into Bickslow's torso, a powerful explosion prompted by his opponent occurred, shaking the whole town and all of the battle's watchers.

"What just happened?" Natsu asked as a large plume of smoke washed over the battlefield. "I couldn't tell who hit who!" Many others nodded in agreement, but they quickly stopped as the smoke began to dissipate.

"Hmph," Saburo leaned over interestedly from his spot on the ceiling of one of the buildings lining the plaza. Jaws dropped and a severe silence washed over the whole place as they discerned the outcome of the battle. Laying on the ground, unconscious, were both Kiba and Bickslow!

"They took each other out!" The two teams shouted into the air simultaneously.

"How dull. It seems there is no victor in this match," droned Saburo as he stood up on the rooftop, his white jacket flapping in the wind.

"That was a hell of a first match..." Gajeel mumbled, although he was satisfied that the opposing team were capable of competing against them on somewhat equal terms.

"Although there was no clear winner, the battle was quite entertaining," smirked Saburo. Something about him sent chills down Naruto's spine as he spoke.

"Kiba Inuzuka...it seems that he was Bickslow's natural enemy. His sense of smell made Bickslow's Figure Eyes' abilities completely ineffective against him. That is how he survived against Bickslow's ultimate effect combination," explained Freed.

_He's somewhat wrong. That Bickslow guy would have defeated Kiba if the explosion he caused had not been so close to himself. He was right about Kiba's sense of smell being an advantage, though, _Kakashi thought to himself.

"Now let us move on," Saburo continued as he suddenly appeared between Kiba and Bickslow, surprising everybody with his speed. He then kneeled down and pressed his hands on Kiba and Bickslow's back. They were engulfed in white light before slowly vanishing.

"Where'd they go?" Makarov demanded to know. Naruto turned and looked at the old man before switching gazes to Tsunade, who also look quite angered.

"Oh, don't worry," insisted Saburo. "The losers of each match will simply be sent to my personal dwelling, where they will be treated medically and be taken proper care of."

"I don't belie-!"

"Now if I may continue..." Saburo interrupted, "let us get on with the second match of round one." A moment of silence ran through the two cubes as they anticipated the names that would be called. "Sakura Haruno vs. Juvia Lockser!"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Don't forget to review each chapter and tell me what you think of each fight, and what the outcome of the next fight should be! It really helps me out. <strong>


	3. Raging Water and Cherry Blossoms

**_Saburo's Tournament_**

**CHAPTER 3**

**Raging Water And Cherry Blossoms**

**_Juvia vs. Sakura_**

* * *

><p>"Let us get on with the second match of round one." A moment of silence ran through the two cubes as they waited for the names that would be called. "Sakura Haruno vs. Juvia Lockser!"<p>

"It's your turn, Sakura," Kakashi said, placing his gloved hand on the girl's back.

"You can do this, Sakura," Tsunade encouraged. Sakura nodded and stepped slowly out of the containment cube, everybody watching closely with anticipation.

"I guess I'm up," said Sakura as she pulled her black gloves on until they fit snuggly. The girl had bright pink hair, emerald eyes, and fair skin. She wore a basic red qipao dress top, black gloves, black boots, black shorts, a short pink apron skirt, and pink elbow protectors. On the top of her head was a red forehead protector, which accentuated her face.

"You can do it Sakura-chan!" Rock Lee and Naruto shouted enthusiastically. She casted them an annoyed glance, quickly quieting them. Before she stepped out of the cube, a hand grasped her shoulder.

"Sakura," Kakashi began as she turned to face him. "Be aware of everything in your fight. These opponents are not the same as us ninjas, but they do have their similarities. Instead of ninjutsu, their techniques seem to be something else, but it's still quite powerful."

"Don't worry, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said. "I'm not Naruto, I'll be sure to analyze my opponents moves before doing anything reckless." Naruto heard this and his spirits fell, but he stayed silent. Sakura then turned and walked out of the cube's newly opened exit. Something splattered on Sakura's face as soon as she stepped foot outside of the light cube.

"Rain?" She asked as she looked into the sky. Sure enough, it had darkened and was steadily dropping pellets of water to the earth. "Was it always raining?"

"Juvia of the Deep can't let Gray-sama see her be defeated," declared a blue-haired woman twenty feet from Sakura. "This rain show's Juvia desire to impress Gray-sama!"

"Huh? Gray-sama?" Sakura repeated. "Are you my opponent for this match?" Juvia's face grew angered in expression.

"Only Juvia calls Gray-sama, Gray-sama!" She proclaimed as her legs exploded into a powerful stream of water, propelling her towards Sakura.

"Oh?" Saburo sat on the edge of the roof, looking quite intrigued. "I guess match two has begun before I even gave the order." He leaned over and watched as the start of the battle unraveled below him.

"Water?" Sakura asked as she leapt to the left, dodging a water-powered tackle from Juvia. Although Sakura dodged the initial attack, the blue-haired mage was still angling towards her, prepared for a second attempt at it. Sakura ducked underneath the soaring Juvia as she passed overheard, droplets of water hitting against her face. The water woman's feet solidified again as she landed on the ground and swiveled around to face Sakura.

"Water Lock!" Before Sakura even knew it, she was incased in a large sphere of water, which contained her like a prison. Sakura held her breath, and attempted to swim to the 'surface', but they water sphere seemed to move at the same rate and in the same direction as her.

"It's like Zabuza's and Kisame's Water Prison Jutsu," noticed Kakashi. "Although, it seems that it allows for movement, but is just as inescapable. Sakura's probably the least capable of us escaping from that technique because of her lack of jutsu!" Many of the other Konoha ninjas realized this too, and instantly began to worry.

_If I can't escape this by swimming, then maybe I can release myself from this technique by injuring the caster_, devised Sakura as she held her breath. She slowly reached into her pouch and retrieved a kunai knife from her pouch. She then attached an explosive tag to it as she proceeded to launch it towards Juvia! The paperbomb-equipped kunai escaped from the water prison and sailed towards the opponent.

"She's just standing there like she isn't the least bit worried about the paperbomb," noticed Shikamaru. "Does she not expect it explode because it was submerged shortly, or is she just that arrogant?" Shikamaru soon got his answer the kunai knife passed uselessly through Juvia's head, leaving a hole in its place. Instead of falling to the ground, dead, Juvia instead continued to stare at Sakura as her head reformed.

"Juvia's body is formed of the rain itself, so you can't injure me like that," she declared. Sakura's eyes widened in dismay, but she quickly began to reevaluate the current situation as her air began to fade. Kakashi could see the twinkle in Sakura's eyes as she reached back into her pouch.

"She can't be planning on..." Kakashi trailed off as he dismissed the absurd thought.

"It's her only option, really," insisted Shikamaru. "Although, it's a very risky manuever."

"Huh?" Naruto asked, not understanding what Shikamaru and Kakashi were getting at. "What are you guys talking about?" Naruto watched as Sakura attached another explosive tag to another kunai. "What's she doing? Didn't she see that it didn't work last time?"

"She's really going to do it!" Yamato realized. By this time, most of the onlookers had already figured out Sakura's next course of action. The pink-haired kunoichi stretched her arms out, pushing the kunai as far from her body as she could. The explosive tag suddenly detonated in the water sphere, blowing it apart too drastically for it to be reformed. The bloodied, but alive, body of Sakura collided with the wet ground.

"Sakura!" Naruto and Rock Lee cried out as their ally slowly got back to her feet.

"You escaped Juvia's Water Lock by creating an explosion inside of it?" Juvia asked. "Are you trying to impress Gray-sama too?" Juvia took a step towards Sakura, wearing an agitated expression on her face.

"Huh?" Sakura didn't know what the woman was talking about, but she took it as a sign of agression.

"Farewell, love rival!" Juvia cried out as she formed some sort of whip that appeared to be made completely of water. "Water Cane!"

"Love what?" Naruto blurted out, which caused Hinata to blush for some unknown reason. Rock Lee also appeared to be disturbed by what this 'Juvia' woman was speaking about.

"What the hell is this woman talking about?" Sakura asked as she flipped over the water whip's first horizontal strike. Two strikes later, Sakura remained untouched and unharmed by it.

"Even after blasting herself, that girl is really nimble," said Gray from the sidelines. Juvia heard this and lashed out with her water whip even quicker than before, not giving Sakura enough time to dodge. Sakura surprisingly grabbed the water whip before it could strike her, shocking Juvia and her comrades.

"How is this woman gripping Juvia's water whip?" Juvia asked Sakura.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto called out. "So if we're able to walk on water by releasing a constant stream of chakra from our feet, can Sakura grip water by releasing chakra from her hands?" Naruto asked, finally sounding intelligent for once.

"I guess that's right, Naruto," he replied. "It seems that Sakura's Chakra Enhanced Strength taught to her by Tsunade has been subconsciously released without Sakura even realizing."

"With the precise chakra control and pinpoint timing of a medical ninja, it seems that it can also be used to grip intangible forces such as water," Shikamaru added.

"Of course!" Tsunade said, smiling as she admired the work of her student.

"I don't know who the hell 'Gray-sama' is," began Sakura as she tightened her grip on the whip. "But I'm not your damned love rival!" With that, Sakura used her inhuman strength to swing the whip and Juvia along with it, into a nearby building. However, on contact with the building, Juvia burst into water. She soon reformed completely somewhere else on the plaza.

"Juvia is surprised," acknowledged Juvia.

So I can touch the water, but that doesn't solve the problem of how to injure her intangible body, thought Sakura. Or does it? Sakura charged towards Juvia with her arm pulled back and ready to be shot forward.

"Juvia won't allow it!" Juvia positioned her arm to overlap her view of Sakura before calling out, "Water Nebula!" A double helix column of water shot skywards from a puddle of rain underneath Sakura, propelling her into the air.

"Here it comes," smirked Tsunade with her arms crossed. As the water flowed back to the ground, Sakura positioned her body so that she would land on her feet.

"Cherry Blossom Clash!" Using the help of gravity, Sakura dropped to the earth fist-first. Her punch slammed into the ground, pulverizing it into minute pieces by the excess shock, which appeared to be scattered like flower petals. Juvia barely dodged the attack and despite being intangible, she felt the need to avoid it.

"Juvia can't allow you to win!" The blue-haired mage declared. "For the sake of Gray-sama!" Juvia leapt backwards one more time before extending her arm out in Sakura's direction. "Water Slicer!" Juvia swung her arm to the side, prompting three blades of water to fire towards Sakura.

"Aqua blades?" Sakura asked as she dashed to the right, attempting to get out of the way of the attack. Before she was completely out of range, her legs stopped working properly due to the lasting pain of the damage that she did to herself. Due to this hesitation, one of the blades made a shallow wound in Sakura's left arm. The blades continued on before slashing through a few buildings and eventually vanishing into the distance.

"Sakura's injuries are not going to make this easy. Why? Because her injuries are hindering her reactions and movement," remarked Shino. Sakura's right hand became enveloped in green chakra as she placed it over the cut on her left arm. The cut quickly proceeded to close as Sakura healed herself. "I guess that solves it..."

"So you can heal external wounds like that?" Juvia asked, sounding a little bit impressed. "How much damage can you heal before you die?" Juvia asked as a swirling mass of water slicers formed around her body up to pale neck. "Water Jigsaw!" The aqua tornado that was Juvia shot forward towards Sakura at an astonishing speed.

_She's fast!_ Sakura dashed to the side, sliding to the side of the plaza and barely dodging the attack. She then heard a slicing sound, so she turned around and saw Juvia heading towards her once again. Sakura tilted her body to the side, avoiding a deathblow, but she received a large gash in her right side.

"This is bad!" Ino gasped. "Billboard Brow won't last if she gets hit directly!" Even Kakashi was now beginning to worry about Sakura's health if she continued.

"Lady Tsunade," addressed Yamato. "Don't you think it'd be best to have Sakura forfeit before she takes too much damage?" Tsunade lifted her arm quickly in front of Yamato, attempting to cut him off as he spoke.

"Of course not," she answered sternly. "Sakura wouldn't like that idea, either, whether she's winning or losing." Yamato gulped and turned to face the battle again. He looked just in time to see Sakura receive another injury to her left shoulder by the saw-like typhoon that wrapped around Juvia. There was a visible pool of blood forming underneath Sakura's feet, which wasn't a good sign at all.

"Keep it up! Gihihihi!" Gajeel grinned as he watched Juvia get the upper-hand against her opponent.

"She's not giving Sakura enough time to heal her injuries," commented Neji. "The fight won't last much longer at this rate." The ninja watched as Sakura reached into her pouch once again, but Juvia was closing in quickly. Eyes expanded in dismay as Sakura took a firm stance and waited for Juvia to reach her.

"Does she plan to take the attack head on?" Gray asked, shocked by the woman's actions. As Juvia loomed over her opponent and prepared to finish her off, Sakura finally snapped her hand out of her bag and slammed something dark-green into the ground. A jolt of electricity escaped from the object and electrocuted Juvia's water-formed body, forcing her to stop the attack.

"That's a Lightning Barrel!" Kakashi realized as he looked closely at the object that appeared to be carved from bamboo. "It's used to give away a person's position to their teammates, but it can be used offensively as well." Juvia's body hit the ground, steaming slightly as Sakura loomed over her.

"Juvia can't be beaten by you in front of Gray-sama!" The blue-haired mage exclaimed as she stood up again. The rain that splattered against Sakura's face suddenly felt much hotter.

_Damn it. I was hoping that would finish her off,_ Sakura thought. "Juvia, was it? Shut the hell up with the 'Gray-sama' this, and 'Gray-sama' that!" Sakura launched a powerful straight right towards Juvia's face.

"Juvia will not forgive Sakura!" Juvia proclaimed as she burst into a wave of water that angled out of the way of the punch. Sakura swiveled around and watched as Juvia headed towards her again.

_She's too quick!_ Sakura threw another punch at the oncoming Juvia, but the water spiraled around her arm and slammed into her abdomen, pushing her backwards and also scorching her top. Liquid Juvia sped away again, before angling towards Sakura to hit her once more.

"My rage is boiling!" Juvia shouted as she passed through Sakura's right arm, burning it in the process. Sakura yelped before gripping her scorched arm and dashing to the side to avoid a follow-up attack.

"Gah! My skin is burning!" Sakura claimed. Juvia was closing in on Sakura as the girl spun on her heels to face the oncoming aqua woman. "Let's do this!" Sakura commanded as she jumped into the air just when Juvia's liquidy body sailed underneath her. Sakura landed on the water and stayed above it with chakra covered feet.

"The Water Walking Training!" Naruto realized. "She's using her chakra to stand on Juvia's water!"

"Im-Impossible," stammered Juvia as Sakura continued to run down her stream of water. "Juvia's boiling water is being walked on?"

"Cherry Blossom Clash!" Sakura stopped running and proceeded to slam her fist into the water, forcing Juvia's to revert into a tangible form under Sakura' fist. Cracks splintered along the ground under the pressure of the strike.

"Juvia's intangibility isn't working!" Erza concluded. "Did I hear them say something about a constant release of 'chakra' from her hands?"

"Although it connected, the punch isn't as powerful as it should be due to Sakura's injuries," analyzed Shikamaru. Juvia lay motionless under the force of Sakura's fist.

"JUVIA!" Gray hollered loudly. This shout prompted an abrupt silence to occur as everybody focused on Gray, even Sakura.

_I'm guessing that's Gray,_ Sakura looked back down at the motionless body of Juvia. Sakura stood back and waited for something to happen. She looked towards Saburo, who simply smirked and shook his head slowly.

"Juvia will NOT lose while Gray-sama is cheering for her!" Juvia raged, as she went from a lifeless figure on the ground to a wave of raging hot water in a fragment of a moment. The aqua slammed into Sakura again, knocking her backwards into the side of a building. Two waves of water suddenly sprung up from puddles on either sides of Sakura. The two waves of water slammed together with Sakura between them, forcing her to the ground.

"Sakura's in trouble!" Naruto worried, turning to Tsunade as if she could do something.

"Damn it," the Hokage swore. A pillar of water formed underneath Sakura, propelling her high into the air.

"Water Dome!" A spurt of water shot into the air high above Sakura quickly, along with a cluster of rain. After the sources water joined together, it formed a dome in the sky above Sakura, who hit the dome harshly. As Sakura began to fall towards the ground, Juvia launched herself into the air directly on Sakura's gravitational path. Juvia, boiling hot, slammed into Sakura and pressed her against the water dome. Having no escape path, Sakura was now continuously being burned as she was squashed against the wall by the boiling water.

"Sakura-chan!" Rock Lee cried out, rushing to the edge of the light cube along with Naruto. They watched as Juvia momentarily backed off, allowing Sakura to begin dropping again, barely clinging to her consciousness. Sakura then sunk into the airborne wave of boiling water that was Juvia.

"It's over!" Tsunade declared. "Don't do anything else to Sakura!" She slammed her fist into the light cube, but it had no affect.

"Tsk, tsk," teased Saburo. "That's not how it works, Tsunade." He laughed to himself from his front-row seat to the fight. They all watched in horror as Juvia, who contained Sakura inside her water, slammed into the ground. Juvia's water split apart harmlessly before reforming behind the defeated figure of Sakura.

"Sakura lost..." Naruto's eyes closed as he hoped that what was in front of him was a mere lie or a simple mistake.

"I will avenge you, Sakura-chan!" Rock Lee declared, clenching his fist tightly. Might Guy placed his caring hand on Lee's shoulder, calming the youth down slightly. They looked on as Saburo materialized kneeling between Sakura and Juvia. He touched each with separate palms, enveloping them in light. After they vanished from the man's vicinity, Juvia reappeared inside of her respective cube while Sakura was nowhere to be found.

"Juvia..." whispered Makarov as a few members of Fairy Tail rushed to her side as she dropped to her knees.

"Now, now. Pay attention, you all," ordered Saburo Kobayasha as he lifted his arms. He pointed to each of the cubes with his index fingers before announcing, "The next match is...Shino Aburame vs. Gajeel Redfox!"


	4. Swarm the Dragon

**_Saburo's Tournament_**

**CHAPTER 4**

**Swarm The Dragon**

**_Shino vs. Gajeel_**

* * *

><p>"Now, now. Pay attention, you all," ordered Saburo Kobayasha as he lifted his arms. He pointed to each of the cubes with his index fingers before announcing, "The next match is...Shino Aburame vs. Gajeel Redfox!"<p>

"..." Shino silently moved forward as his name was called, squeezing his way through his team members and out of the light cube. The shinobi had bushy brown hair, pale skin, and was of an average stature. He wore dark glasses, and a sea-green jacket that hung down to his knees. The addition of his hood obstructed his face even more, and he also wore a satchel on his back.

"Will Shino-kun be okay?" Hinata asked, but nobody particularly answered. As Shino entered the plaza, he caught a glance at his opponent, Gajeel Redfox.

"Gihihihi," laughed Gajeel. He was tall and muscular man with long, spiky black hair, which was slicked back to reveal his forehead, red eyes with slitted dark pupils, and no visible eyebrows. Most of his visible body were covered in sets of simple, round studs, the most of visible of which were located on her face, with three of them right above his eyes. There were also three studs on each side of his nose, and two on his chin just below his mouth. His ears were adorned by two sets of five earrings each. He also sported four studs on each of his forearms. He had a Fairy Tail insignia on his left arm below his shoulder.

"This guy's creepy," Naruto mumbled.

"So you're my opponent, eh?" Gajeel wore a shabby, black, sleeveless tunic with studded edges, with a studded belt around his waist, loose whitish pants tucked inside studded boots, and a pair of studded brown gloves paired with similarly studded wristbands. He also rocked distinctive wing-like ornaments, seemingly made of black feathers that jutted upwards over his right shoulder.

"If you fight me here, you will never be able to fight again," stated Shino. "Forfeit." Shino's voice was assertive, but his opponent simply laughed before speaking.

"You've got guts to brag in a situation where you don't even know who you're messing with," smirked Gajeel. After the man spoke, Shino lifted his arm in Gajeel's direction.

"I am a member of the Hidden Leaf Village's Aburame Clan," he said. "When we fight, no matter how puny our opponent is, we don't mock them. We face them with full strength."

"Good," replied Gajeel, "because if you didn't, you wouldn't last very long."

"Now...let match three begin!" Saburo shouted as leapt onto his rooftop to get a good view once again. Gajeel listened closely as the sound of something peculiar escaped from somewhere in front of him. Everybody watched with mixed emotions as small, black insects began to scamper from beneath Shino's clothing, crawling eerily over his neck and wrists.

"What?" Natsu voiced his confusion. "He's got bugs coming out of his clothes like a human hive!" Happy randomly looked up at Lucy and saw the disgust clear on her face.

"Insects?" Gajeel asked. He then spun around after hearing something creeping along the plaza. Behind him, there was a massive horde of the same insects that resided in Shino.

"They're a rare species of parasitic beetles that attack their prey in a swarm, eating it's chakra," explained Shino calmly. A single insect no larger than the others rested on his fingertip.

_Chakra? Does he mean magic? _The question rang through Gajeel's mind, but the ninja began to speak again.

"An army of this size...will suck you dry in less than a minute," declared Shino as the militia of beetles edged closer and closer to Gajeel.

"Well...that's interesting," smirked Gajeel, unmoving from his position.

"Your only intelligent option is to forfeit the match," suggested Shino in a calm, persuasive manor. "You can't fight two entities at once. If you attack me, then my _friends _will swarm you from behind. Conversely, if you attempt to keep them at bay, then'll you'll have me on your blindside. Either way, your defeat will be certain...and unpleasant."

"That sounds fun. Let's test that theory out!" Gajeel grinned as he raised his arms across his chest in an "x"-formation. His forearms drastically morphed from flesh and bone directly into steel clubs. Gajeel leapt into the air using incredible leg strength and cocked his steel clubs back. "Gihihihihi!" His steel clubs extended towards the ground quickly, one heading for Shino and the other for his insects.

"A ranged attack?" Shino asked as he leapt backwards, dodging the damaging strike that cracked the cement plaza. The insects also went into a frenzied uproar as they took to the air in order to dodge the attack. Instead of falling to the ground, Gajeel instead pushed off against the cement with his extending pillar of steel. The iron mage landed on a nearby roof, while Shino sank silently through one of the windows of a building on the opposite side of the town center.

"His arm turned into metal!" Hinata gasped.

"It appeared to be iron," corrected Neji. "And I'm assuming that it can be effective at both long range and close range combat." They watched as Gajeel extended his iron club through the building that Shino had taken refuge in. His attack slammed through a window, shattering it with ease, and struck the ground, missing Shino entirely. The Iron-Dragon Slayer discerned the gleam of something metallic coming right for him as it was launched through the window.

"Gihi!" Gajeel merely chuckled as the two shuriken sailed past him after he quickly shifted his body to avoid them. "There you are!" Gajeel exclaimed as he aimed to extend his iron club through the window once again, but this time right where the origin of the kunais were. The onlookers watched as Shino nimbly escaped from the building using a side window.

"Huh?" Shino wasn't expected to see Gajeel charging towards him before he even landed on the ground. The Dragon-Slayer was too quick as he cocked his arm back, and succeeded in slamming it right into Shino's face! The iron club extended even after it hit Shino's head, pushing him backwards and slamming him into a adjacent building's wall.

"Shino-kun!" Hinata was the only one to cry out, but everybody else wanted to as well. As the iron club pressed against Shino, his face suddenly exploded into a swarm of small black beetles.

"Eh?" Gajeel watched as the beetles fell to the cement and dispersed among the various buildings, showing no sign of where the actual Shino was. Although, Something out the corner of his eye caught Gajeel's attention. As he tilted backwards while spinning on his heels, he narrowly dodged a sneak attack from Shino. Gajeel pushed off the ground and leapt backwards while speaking, "you created a fake using your little bugs, and then snuck up behind me. Gihihihi, not too bad."

"It was simple, really," downplayed Shino. "Why? Because you have to spend all your energy and time into extending that steel arm of yours, and that leaves an opening in your defenses." Shino kept his hands hidden in his pocket.

"Oh?" Gajeel was curious. "That's a funny analysis you have there," he smirked as his feet slammed into the side of one of the buildings in his path. He then pushed off the building, leaving cracks in it nonetheless, and propelled himself towards Shino.

"Wall Of Insects Jutsu!" Shino said loudly as Gajeel pulled his right arm back, readying himself to strike. An unsurpassable amount of Aburame insects packed in front of Shino. They began to fly in a dome shape around him at an amazing rate after the ninja finished the necessary hand signs.

"Gihihi," cackled Gajeel as he shot his arm forward with a great amount of force. The Fairy Tail mage's fist slammed into the rotation of beetles, and after a small struggle, Gajeel's arm was flung backwards. "I guess I have to hit harder!" That's when Gajeel began his assault on Shino's defense, hammering away at the dome of insects. Seeing as he would get through in due time, Shino stopped the defense, launching the insects into disarray. The swarm of insects hid Shino from view as he sank into a building once again.

"Those damned bugs again," swore Gray.

"Gajeel's opponent seems to be a skilled tactician," concluded Erza. "If he slips up once, it can end in an instant." Erza said coldly.

"It seems his physical strength is getting the upper-hand for the time-being," declared Freed. "But those bugs sure are a threat. They could suck up all of Gajeel's magic before he even has a chance to finish off his opponent." They watched as Gajeel climbed on top of the building adjacent to the one that Saburo was position at.

"Come on," groaned Gajeel. "I was having at least a _little _fun while you weren't hiding from me." As if in response to this, a swarm of kikaichu became visible behind Gajeel as they ascended from the bottom of the building. A second wave of insects hovered in front of Gajeel, giving him no leeway to move back or forth.

"Disperse," commanded Shino quietly. The beetles obeyed this order to a tee, spreading around Gajeel in a seemingly unorganized manor.

"Now he won't be able to get away," asserted Kakashi. "There's no way he can evade all the insects."

"Do it!" Shino grumbled, lifting his hand up as if to signal something or convey an order...although nobody could even see him from his spot inside the building. "Hidden Jutsu: Beetle Sphere!" At once, the ninja's best weapon, his beetles, all converged onto Gajeel before the man could even react.

"All right! Way to go Shino!" Naruto cheered.

"I will settle this," vowed Shino as he stepped out of a broken, revealing himself to all the onlookers. "Why? Because now that I'm part of this mission, I _must _make myself useful this time!" Shino eluded at the past, remembering when he wasn't able to go on the joint mission to retrieve Sasuke Uchiha.

"He's still sore about that?" Shikamaru sighed.

"I feel him resisting," stated Shino calmly. "Why? Because the parasitic insects are constantly sucking up his chakra."

"Good! Now all he has to do is let his bugs suck him dry!" Naruto grinned as he spoke.

"That's on the assumption that these people even use chakra," Shikamaru murmured as he ran his hand through his hair.

"No, I can see it," began Neji. They turned and noticed that the youth had his Byakugan eye already activated. "They do appear to have chakra, but..." Neji stopped speaking as he focused on the insect-wrapped Gajeel. "This is incredible..."

"Heh," Natsu smirked. "These guys have obviously never faced a Dragon-Slayer before if they think a few bugs can suck him dry of his magic!"

"Did he say..." began Yamato.

"Dragon-Slayer?" Naruto finished. Kakashi's looked turned stern after hearing Natsu's single sentence.

"Hmm," Shino's look also became contorted with confusion. _This guy hasn't collapsed from chakra loss yet. Why? Because it seems that he possess a plentiful amount of -, _A loud cry rang through the vicinity, interrupting Shino's thought.

"Iron Dragon's Roar!" Where Gajeel's mouth would be, a large whirlwind of metal shrapnel split through the bugs encasing him and headed right for Shino.

"He escaped?" Shino leapt backwards and landed on his feet nimbly as the attack struck a building, tearing right through its base. He watched as Gajeel freed himself from the rest of the insects, so that his whole figure could be seen.

"Those damn bugs were annoying!" Gajeel complained. "They sure took some of my magic power, that's for sure, and now I have your ass to deal with."

"These 'Fairy-Tail' members are extraordinary fighters, and their chakra seem to be more plentiful then our own," theorized Shino.

"More theories?" Gajeel asked as he extended his iron club towards the analytical bug-user. The attack slammed Shino's head into the plaza's cement ground, but 'Shino' suddenly erupted into a swarm of beetles one more time.

"Iron Tackle!" Gajeel and the audience watched as two Shinos slammed into Gajeel, one on the right and the second on the left.

"Did you say 'Iron'?" Gajeel asked as he was being pushed backwards, nearing the edge of the roof. "I'll show you a real iron tackle!" Gajeel's hands became covered in metal as he gripped the two Shinos by their collars and began to push them backwards instead. The Shino on the left burst into a cloud of insects just as Gajeel launched the two over the edge of the townhouse. The bugs amassed underneath the real Shino, carrying him to the roof of another building.

"This guy sure is good with those bugs," commented Wendy nervously.

"A real man does not fear insects!" Elfman proclaimed, clenching his fist into the air. Gajeel and Shino were currently envoked in a staredown, until Shino finally sprung his arms forward. Two spinning shuriken were seen in the light of the sun as they sailed towards Gajeel. The black-haired menace grinned as he ducked underneath the projectiles.

"So we're back to this tactic?" He asked.

"Not quite," assured Shino softly, and then he flicked his fingers quickly.

"Let's end this, Aburame!" Gajeel demanded, as he prepared to launch another attack on Shino with his destructive iron club, but he soon heard a _whizzing _noise behind him. The man spun around and saw the two shuriken that he had previously dodged heading right for him again.

"The Manipulated Shuriken Technique," revealed Kakashi. Everybody watched as a large grin spread across Gajeel's studded face. The Dragon Slayer proceeded to open his mouth wide, and he then whipped his head quickly, catching the two shuriken in his mouth. Astonishment was the common emotion as Gajeel snapped clean through the metal with his mere teeth.

"He's eating the shuriken!" Naruto's jaw dropped, as did the jaws of every other ninja. Shino was also completely overwhelmed by this unexpected action.

"...Is it tasty?" Choji asked, honestly curious, partially disturbed.

"Thanks for the meal," mumbled Gajeel as the last chunk of metal slid down his throat, and a loud gulp resonated from it. "It was much needed thanks to your bugs sucking up my own supply of magic...but now its over for you."

"None of my tactics are working against this 'Dragon-Slayer'," realized Shino. "My insects can't suck up enough of his chakra due to his strange techniques, anything made of iron will only benefit him, _and _his physical abilities are top-notch."

"Thanks for the interesting match!" Gajeel smiled as he cocked his head back. His cheeks enlarged as if he were about to prepare to hold his breath.

"What now?" Shino asked. He soon got his answer as Gajeel cupped his hands in front of his mouth and proceeded to blow a whirlwind of iron through them. The silver twister of metal was headed straight for Shino and the few bugs that surrounded him.

"Wall Of Insects Jutsu!" Shino waved his arms, directing an abundance of kikaichu to be used as his shield once again. The Iron's Dragon's Roar reached Shino just as the rotating insect dome was finished form. The two opposing forces clashed, invoking a power struggle between them momentarily. In mere moments, Shino's insects were either sliced into minuscule bits by the metal shrapnel, or blown away by the twister itself.

"Shino!" Naruto and Hinata called out as the ninja was engulfed in Gajeel's Iron Dragon's Roar technique. The silvery tornado washed over its target, revealing the bloodied body of Shino. As the attack subsided, Shino dropped to the ground, completely defeated.

"Shino just couldn't get the advantage against 'Gajeel' in their fight," concluded Kakashi solemnly. "Now the matches are zero in our favor, and two for them."

"Don't worry, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto clinched his fist. "We won't fall again." Naruto's eyes were serious and unwavering, and Kakashi noticed that all of the Leaf Ninja held the same expression, their faces cold, harsh, and unforgiving.

"You all are quite interesting," inquired Saburo as he leapt gracefully from the roof once again. He sent Shino off immediately to his 'personal quarters' like he did with the others. Saburo then poked Gajeel and in a flash of light, he rematerialized in the Fairy Tail cube. "I know you're all as interesting in knowing the next matchup as I am, so I won't delay it any longer. Match Three shall be Rock Lee vs. Elfman Strauss!"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: You guys do a great job with the reviews and opinions! Keep up the good work, and I'll keep up mine!<strong>

**P.S. - Don't worry, I'm not biased with my decisions on who win the fights, and do actually look at you guys' opinions. **


	5. Youth vs Manliness!

**_Saburo's Tournament_**

**CHAPTER 5**

**Youth vs. Manliness? Konoha's Green Beast vs. Fairy Tail's Beast Soul! **

**_Rock Lee vs. Elfman_**

* * *

><p>"I know you're all as interesting in knowing the next matchup as I am, so I won't delay it any longer. Match Three shall be Rock Lee vs. Elfman Strauss!" After hearing Saburo announce this, Elfman's face turned serious.<p>

"Elfman..." His sister, Mirajane, muttered.

"Go forth," directed Erza. "There is no path for us but that of victory." Elfman strode out of the cube and came to a halt in the center of the plaza. Elfman was extremely tall, massive, and a heavily muscular man with tan skin. His long white hair was kept styled upwards in long, wavy spikes. His dark eyes possessed no visible eyebrows, and his rectangular, elongated face had stitched scar running down its right side, crossing his right eye.

"It's time for a man to show his abilities in combat," declared Elfman. He wore a dark blue jacket with purplish blue inners, that was held closed on the front by a line of large buttons. His outfit was completed by loose pants matching his jacket, held up by a simple belt, and traditional Japanese sandals.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, but I am not so sure about if the outcome of this fight will be victory for you," began a voice. "Although, I will be sure to give it my all!" The one who spoke these enthusiastic words was none other than Rock Lee.

"As a fellow man with a goal, I must ask who you are," said Elfman, looking the ninja up and down. The most distinguished features of the ninja were his thick eyebrows and his bowl-cut style hair. The youth also had large, rounded eyes with prominent lower eyelashes. Rock Lee's outfit consisted of a green jumpsuit with a flak jacket over the body, orange leg warmers, and a red forehead protecter around his waist. The last thing about the ninja were the bandages that he wore around his hands and wrists.

"The Beautiful Green Beast Of Konoha, Rock Lee!" The ninja answered with enthusiasm and charisma.

"The Green... Beast?" Elfman repeated, slightly intrigued, and slightly taken back by the statement. _And he has two separate names?_

"As a ninja, although I can't use ninjutsu," Rock Lee carried on, "I more than make up for it with the work I've put into my taijutsu! And one day, I'll prove that even a 'loser' like myself can surpass a genius!" Rock Lee proceeded to stick his thumb up and give the "nice-guy" pose. At this, Elfman couldn't help but to smile.

"Even a loser is still a man at heart!" Elfman cried out, surprising pretty much everybody with his reaction.

"Yes!" Lee agreed happily. "You are completely right!"

"Are they gonna fight, or just go on about nothing?" Natsu asked, getting a little agitated. Apparently, Saburo felt the same way as he soon announced Match Four, the last fight of Block A, to begin.

"Leaf Hurricane!" Rock Lee cried out as he leapt into the air. He spun in the air once and swung his left leg out towards Elfman's head. The large man tilted his head back, narrowly dodging the kick. Lee dropped to the ground and spun again, this time aiming a sweeping kick at Elfman's legs.

"Whoa!" Elfman leapt over the sweep kick, surprising everybody with his evasiveness. "You're pretty fast." Rock Lee proceeded to flip backwards in order to gain distance again.

"You are surprisingly nimble," acknowledged the ninja.

"You're manly, like your name," came Elfman's reply. "Let's go." Rock Lee obeyed as he charged forward with his arm cocked back, ready to strike. As he neared, Elfman let loose a powerful punch of his own. Lee, however, pushed his free hand against the side of Elfman's fist, throwing him off balance. Lee shot his right arm forward, but he had to stop in order to evade a grabbing attempt from Elfman's other hand.

"Hmph," Rock Lee flipped over the arm and landed gracefully on the ground once again. The ninja sprung to life rather quickly, launching a swift right punch at Elfman's face.

"Beast Arm: Reptile!" As Elfman grabbed Rock Lee's fist, his arm had changed drastically in appearance. It was now brown and had frills up to his elbow, whereafter it was green and scaly, like a reptile.

"His arm changed in appearance," noticed Might Guy. Rock Lee spun his body around, slamming his legs into Elfman's arms and forcing him to release Lee's hand under the force.

"Your arm...is that your ability?" Rock Lee asked. "To transform your arm into a beast's?"

"Yes," answered Elfman. "The Beast Soul Takeover Magic."

"That is very exciting," declared Rock Lee. "This is a fight between beasts then!" Rock Lee proceeded to spin again.

"This again?" Elfman asked, but he soon got his answer.

"Severe Leaf Hurricane!" Rock Lee crouch down and whipped his leg out, aiming for Elfman's legs once again. The mage brought his legs up, jumping above the attack, but Rock Lee wasn't finished. Using the momentum of the sweep kick, Lee jumped into the air and lashed out with his right leg, launching it towards Elfman's abdomen.

_Darn it! _Was all that Elfman could think as the kick connected with his stomach. Then, with one more spin, Lee pushed himself off the ground and launched a high kick towards his foe. The kick struck Elfman across the face, but before he could hit the ground, Lee finished his combo. Lee landed on the ground and spun one last time, nearly rolling on his shoulders and dropping his heel on Elfman's head.

"Elfman!" Mirajane cried out as Rock Lee backed off from the downed opponent. Hearing his sister's shout, Elfman quickly rose to his feet, now wearing an angry expression.

"Beast Arm: Iron Bull!" Elfman's arm morphed from reptilian to metallic in an instant as he launched a punch at Rock Lee. The green-attired ninja brought his knees to his chest as he leapt over the attack. "Beast Arm: Black Bull!" Elfman's arm was now black and beastlike, and sported prominent muscles as he raised it to grab Rock Lee.

"This guy's strength must lie in his ability to transform his arm into different creatures, gaining different attributes," analyzed Kakashi.

"But if this guy's strength is melee combat, then he'll have another thing coming with Lee," guaranteed Shikamaru. "Rock Lee is the epitome of what it means to be an expert in taijutsu." Kakashi glanced at Might Guy, who was on edge watching the battle of his pupil.

"Man! Man! If you are a man, then you are a man!" Elfman proclaimed as he lobbed Rock Lee across the town center by his his ankle.

"What the hell?" Yamato asked, sweat dropping from his brow. "That didn't even make any sense..." They all watched as Rock Lee spun in the air and landed harmlessly on the cement.

"Youth! Youth! If you are youthful, then you are youthful!" Rock Lee declared as he dashed forward and began to launch a frenzy of attacks on Elfman.

"What the hell does that mean?" Gray asked, scratching the back of his head in confusion.

"Damn it, Gray!" Cried out Natsu. "Put your clothes back on!" Everybody turned and looked at Gray, who was now shirtless _**and **_confused. Gray laughed nervously as he clothed himself on their behalf, so everybody turned to watched the battle again. Elfman and Rock Lee were currently going back and forth between attacking and defending, neither gaining the clear upper-hand.

"Beast Arm: Jet Black Sword!" Elfman's arm turned into a large appendage contruscted of black, metal plates, complete with five sharp claws. Rock Lee received a slight wound as one of the claws grazed his side. The ninja somersaulted backwards before landed and examining his wound.

"That's the arm Rustyrose used against us!" Evergreen cried out in shock.

"His claw barely grazed me, yet I am cut?" Rock Lee watched as blood came to the surface of the wound. He then turned his attention back to Elfman and his strange arm.

"This is the arm of a man! The Jet Black Sword, capable of cutting through anything!" Elfman declared proudly.

"Interesting..." Rock Lee said quietly, before finally launching himself at Elfman once again. _If I get hit by this thing, it will be over for me! Therefore, it is a great challenge to prove myself against! _Lee knelt underneath a slashing attempt from Elfman as he thought to himself. Rock Lee slammed his heel into Elfman's shin, dropping the man to his knees. Rock Lee then spin into the air and let out a battle cry as he landed a spinning backfist on Elfman.

"Ugh!" Elfman grumbled as he landed on the ground sideways. _This guy is a lot stronger than he looks! _Elfman struggled to his feet, but managed to stand up again, his arm in its normal state. "I have no choice but to do it!"

"Elfman is planning on using it," muttered Erza.

"He's right, there is no other choice," replied Makarov. They saw that Mirajane's face now showed concern as Elfman regained his composure.

"Beast Soul: Fullbody Take Over!" Elfman shouted, prompting his body to change in appearance. The mage's size increased expnentially, with his arms growing longer, larger, and sprouted sharp claws. His body became covered in thick, reddish fur, with his dark green abdominals and pectorals prominent in the middle. His hair took on a mane-like appearance, his ears and canine teeth became pointed, and he grew a pair of striped horns pointing upwards starting from a plate on his forehead. His feet resembled a large bird of prey's with dark claws, and he grew protrusions on his shoulders.

"A monster!" Naruto exclaimed.

"No...that is a real beast!" Might Guy corrected. Emotions rose high once again in both factions' cubes.

"Incredible!" Rock Lee complimented. "If I can defeat a real beast in combat, then I will _truly_ be the Beautiful Green Beast Of Konoha! And maybe Sakura will be mine then!" In Konoha's cube, Sakura's face was completely straight after hearing this. "Yes! Then I will be sure to w-!" Rock Lee was cut off as the large monster's fist slammed down in front of him. A second fist headed right for Rock Lee, but incredibly, it was too fast to dodge. The fist plowed right into Rock Lee, sending him crashing into the front of a nearby building.

"He's fast and precise!" Rock Lee commended as he stepped back into the plaza. "I may struggle with this." In a moment, the beast was upon him once again, hammering away at him with multiple punches. It then grabbed Lee by his torso and tossed him across the plaza for a second time.

"Elfman's gaining the advantage now!" Natsu cheered. He watched as the Konoha ninja leapt onto a building behind himself.

"Lee!" Might Guy shouted, catching Rock Lee's attention. "Take them off!" Only the ninjas of Konoha knew what Might Guy meant by this.

"But! But Guy-Sensei! That's...only for when I must protect many precious people, isn't it?" Came Rock Lee's reply.

"It's alright!" Might Guy declared. Rock Lee stood silent as Guy continued, "I'll allow it!" Might Guy smiled at Lee and gave him the thumbs-up. Rock Lee grinned as he sat down cross-legged on the roof. He pulled his orange leg warmers off, revealing ankle weights that were previously concealed! He yanked the weights off and proceeded to stand up again.

"Alright! Now I can move easier!" Rock Lee stated as he let go of the weights over the edge of the building. As the weights began their plummet, Elfman charged forward quickly and loudly. To everybody's surprise, when the weights met the ground, it cracked under the force, causing two clouds of smoke to rise.

"Lee! Go!" Might Guy smiled, as did Rock Lee.

"Yes!" Lee replied, and before anyone knew it, Lee's heel was planted on Elfman's head, directly between his two horns.

_So fast! _Was the common thought between the Fairy Tail mages. They watched in shock as the beast's large face collided with the cement.

"He can't use ninjutsu or genjutsu...that's why he spent all his time on taijutsu," explained Guy. "He worked hard and concentrated everything on taijutsu. Even if he can't do any other jutsu, he won't lose to anyone! He's a taijutsu specialist!"

"Now...we are just getting started," smirked Rock Lee as he slid away from Elfman as the beast stood back up.

"Lee! Explode!" Another shout from Might Guy came.

"Yes!" Came the same reply as before. The audience watched as Elfman threw a fast and powerful punch, but it wasn't enough. Rock Lee vanished from sight, only to reappear in front of Elfman, already in midswing.

"Lee will not lose in speed to anyone!" Might Guy smiled as the punch connected, pushing the beast backwards significantly.

_He felt that one, _thought Lee as he lifted the back of his palm to his opponent and smirked confidently.

"Whoa," was all that Natsu could utter.

"His attacks are so fast that I can barely even see them," commented Gray. This revelation didn't bode well with the rest of the mages. It meant that they were not imagining it, and that it was no illusion. This Rock Lee guy was incredibly fast.

"What?" Rock Lee watched as his monstrous opponent loomed in front of him, only slightly injured from Lee's previous strike. _His skin is too thick...my attacks are meaningless against it. I have no choice but to deal some severe damage...The Lotus! _Rock Lee glanced over to his senpai, who gave him the "nod", and at this Lee smiled.

"What is he planning now?" Erza asked, casting a glance at Might Guy, who appeared to be pleased. She then turned her attention back to Lee, who had unwrapped the bandages around his wrists and hands slightly, keeping his head down while doing so.

_The Primary Lotus smashes down at a high speed. Even thick skin won't be an useful defense against it, _concluded Guy proudly. He watched as Rock Lee turned into a blur, running circles around Elfman, who didn't know where to even look, much less strike. Rock Lee suddennly appeared directly in front of Elfman with his palms placed against the ground. The ninja shot his left leg as high as he could while using the strength of his right leg to push off against the ground. His foot slammed into Elfman's chin, knocking him higher into the air than anyone expected.

"He knocked Elfman into the air!" Natsu cried out.

"It's not over!" Rock Lee declared, as he launched a flurry of highspeed kicks at the rising beast, while he too rose in the air. The thick-eyebrowed ninja then soared underneath the body of Elfman like he was his shadow. Rock Lee's bandages spontaneously wrapped around Elfman's body as Lee gripped him. "Take this!" Rock Lee and Elfman's bodies tilted back towards the earth as they began their descent. "Primary Lotus!" Lee exclaimed as he and Elfman began to spin at an incredible rate, almost resembling a white twister. Before they struck the ground together, Lee leapt to the side, letting Elfman smash into the ground alone.

"ELFMAN!" Mirajane cried as the earth spilt apart where Elfman landed. Large petals of cement were knocked upright around the collapsed body of Elfman Strauss. Despite his sisters cries, Elfman didn't get up like he did the last time. Fairy Tail had just taken their first loss.

"It looks like Rock Lee's speed trumped Elfman's strength," summarized Shikamaru. "I guess power doesn't matter when it can't hit anything."

"Yes!" Guy clenched his fist in triumph, as his student struggled to catch his breath and Elfman reverted to his human form unconsciously.

"Then the winner here is Rock Lee," declared Saburo, smirking. "That was quite an impressive display of melee skills." He then touch Rock Lee's shoulder, sending him into his cube. Saburo knelt down beside Elfman and jabbed him stiffly in the forehead, shimmering him away.

"Elfman," Mirajane clenched her fist tightly, nearly drawing blood. "Saburo!" She shouted, looking up at the man outside the cube. "Let me fight next!"

"Oh? Are you giving me orders?" Saburo asked, slightly intrigued. "Well, this is quite interesting. I was hoping to see this match up further down the line, but I guess there's no helping it. The first match of Block B shall Mirajane Strauss, The Demon vs. Tsunade, The Fifth Hokage!"


	6. Goddesses of Destruction

**_Saburo's Tournament_  
><strong>

**CHAPTER 6**

**Destruction Goddesses**

**Tsunade vs. Mirajane**

* * *

><p>"Oh? Are you giving me orders?" Saburo asked, slightly intrigued. "Well, this is quite interesting. I was hoping to see this match up further down the line, but I guess there's no helping it. The first match of Block B shall Mirajane Strauss, The Demon vs. Tsunade, The Fifth Hokage!"<p>

"You're up, Lady Tsunade," said Kakashi. Tsunade took a step forward as she cracked her knuckles menacingly.

"Granny Tsunade!" Naruto's shout made her stop in her tracks. "Kick some ass," he smiled. The Fifth Hokage couldn't help but to smirk at Naruto's comment.

"I planned on it, Naruto," was all she said before leaving the containment cube. Tsunade was fairy tall (thanks to her open toed, high-heeled sandals), and had light skin to match her golden-amber eyes and blonde hair, that was tied in two loose ponytails. On her forehead, there was a unique violet rhombus. Tsunade had a slender yet noticeably curvaceous frame. She wore a grass-green robe with a gray, kimono-styled blouse with no sleeves, held closed by a dark bluish-gray obi that matched her pants underneath it.

"The Fifth Hokage, Tsunade against Mirajane, eh?" Makarov shook his head with doubt.

"What is it, Master Makarov?" Erza asked, noticing the expression casted by the old man.

"That woman," he began solemnly, "is the probably the strongest member of their team." Erza's eyes grew in dismay at this sudden implication.

"B-but, Mirajane is an S-Class Mage!" Erza retorted. "She's one of the strongest members of our team." Makarov glanced at the aforementioned woman as she stepped into the plaza, and sighed.

"Go Mirajane!" Natsu and Makarov shouted in unison. Tsunade watched as her opponent stepped out into the center of the battlefield. She was a slim young woman and was under Tsunade's height. She had long white hair, which got slightly curly at the ends, with two bangs framing her face and reaching down to her ample chest. A distinctive trait was the short, upward ponytail constructed of the hair that would normally cover her forehead.

"Now let match five commence!" Saburo ordered eagerly. Instead of taking his normal spot on the rooftop, he sat right in the center of the battlefield. Sure, it was the best view, but do you really want to be in the middle of a clash between these two women of all people? Yeah, this Saburo guy was just _that_ crazy.

"Go, Granny Tsunade!" Naruto cheered as the Hokage leapt into the air, her right leg high high above her head. Mirajane dashed backwards as Tsunade brought down her leg, delivered a devastating axe kick to the ground. Even Saburo was forced to move ever so slightly as a crater formed underneath the impact.

"What the hell?" Natsu muttered, his jaw hanging low.

"Come, Mirajane!" Tsunade baited, glaring at the innocent looking Mirajane. The woman looked toward the sky and immediately began to transform. Her eyes became darker and her eyelashes grew larger, with a dark, thin marking in a light zigzagging style crossing her right eye vertically; with similar markings present above her right breast and on both of her bare thighs. Her hair became much "wilder", jutting upwards and getting curlier, with the front ponytail growing longer. Her ears enlarged, extending backwards, and gaining pointed edges like an elf.

"Satan Soul..." Makarov mumbled. He watched as Mirajane finished her demonic transformation. Her forearms became covered in scales with each sprouting fin-like protrusions on the outer sides. She also grew a large, stocky tail that seemed to consist of metal plates of scales, getting smaller and smaller near its end. Her attire now consisted of a dark, skimpy one-piece suit, revealing her arms and legs, which were open on the front and back, exposing most of her belly, wide cleavage, and upperback. Her collar became very vampire-esque, becoming quite spiky. She now donned a pair of light green gauntlets.

_I have no choice_! Mirajane reassured herself as she sprung forward with astonishing speed. She slammed her heel into Tsunade's defending forearm, sending the Hokage flying backwards from the sheer power behind the strike.

"She's almost as scary as Granny Tsunade," frowned Naruto as he watched the Hokage find her footing and slide along the cement harmlessly. Before Tsunade even knew it, Mirajane was upon her again, firing a punch right at her. Tsunade leapt over the attack, but Mirajane suddenly sprouted bat-like wings and took to the air after her.

_She's strong and fast, as a demon should be, _acknowledged Tsunade as she tilted her body and cocked her arm back. Mirajane and Tsunade attacked with simultaneous punches, their fists collided together with acute accuracy. Naruto could have sworn that he heard a sonic boom when they shot their arms forward, but maybe it was just the intensity getting to his head. With the help of gravity, Tsunade's strike prevailed, sending Mirajane plummeting down.

"Mirajane!" Erza called out as the woman crashed into the cement with suck force that it splintered on impact. She then watched in dismay as Tsunade attempted another falling axe kick on the downed foe. Tsunade's heel slammed down hard, splintering the ground even more, forming a crater around the impact.

"Damn," swore Tsunade as she stood up. A cloud of dust was concealing the earth that Tsunade actually struck, but it sure wasn't Mirajane. The mage was instead airborne, staring down at the destructive woman named Tsunade. "I missed."

"I noticed," taunted Mirajane as she soared down towards Tsunade once again. Like a whip, Mirajane's fist lashed out across Tsunade's face, sending the kunoichi sliding backwards again.

"Lady Tsunade got hit!" Tenten exclaimed.

"It appears that its speed against strength like in the last match," determined Kakashi as he watched intensely.

"No," denied Shikamaru. "It's more like power versus power in my eyes," Shikamaru said as he scanned over the destruction caused by the two women's brief exchange.

"That Satan Soul Transformation is quite incredible to be able to withstand Lady Tsunade's bone-shattering strikes," implored Neji. "Although, it seems like the white-haired woman's strength is almost as impressive." They all watched as the battle raged on.

"I'll eliminate you," vow Mirajane as she glare at Tsunade, her eyes dark and piercing.

"Heh," chuckled Tsunade as she took a step forward. "I'd like to see you try, little girl!" Tsunade charged forward, as did Mirajane, both of them moving across the plaza quickly. Mirajane struck first, throwing her fist forward directly towards Tsunade's face. The kunoichi tilted to the side, narrowly escaping the swift punch, and continued to move. Just as she slipped under Mirajane's extended arm, Tsunade slammed the side of her palm into the "Demon's" neck.

"That move," muttered Naruto. He recalled back when he, Tsunade, and Jiraiya faced off against Orochimaru and Kabuto Yakushi. Mirajane fell forward to her knees, and attempted to stand back up, only to find that she couldn't.

_What?! I'm trying to move my arm, but my foot is moving? _Mirajane's foot wiggled uselessly, scraping against the ground. _What did she do?! _

"It's a result of your nerves," Tsunade stated, as if Tsunade could hear Mira's thoughts. "I changed my chakra into electricity and sent the electric waves into your nervous system!" Mirajane attempted to get up again, but it was in vain. She couldn't figure out what body to _try _to move in order to get her legs to move. She watched as Tsunade threw her fist forward in an attempt to crush Mirajane, but the mage's wing flapped up.

"Now I know that trying to move my foot will move my wings instead," said Mirajane as she took flight, although, her arms and legs were as limp as a dead man's.

"I see," muttered Tsunade. "You truly are worthy of your nickname." Despite the "compliment", Mirajane continued to glare at Lady Tsunade.

"Mira's ability to fly is an advantage against that brute of woman," Lucy let out a sigh of relief. Tsunade watched Mirajane's right arm twitched, letting her know that it was back to normal. Mirajane could move again.

"That was a nasty little trick you got me with," commended Mirajane, landing back on the ground across from Tsunade. Instead of letting the ninja reply, Mirajane burst forward, sending shards of cement flying in all directions. Tsunade also dashed forward with her her arm cocked back. Like before, there was another clash of the two's destructive fists. The force of the collision was so great that the ground underneath the two completely shattered, giving way to brown soil in the center of the plaza.

"These women possess so much strength, it's insane," sighed Yamato. The fight resumed with Tsunade delivering a powerful jab to Mirajane's skull. The Demon countered with a powerful knee strike to Tsunade's chin. Each time the women clashed, the whole town shook as evidence of their power. The two continued their back and forth dirty boxing match, both taking serious damage, but neither gaining the edge. That is, until Tsunade grabbed a hold of Mirajane's lashing tail. The female Hokage then accumulated her strength and launched Mirajane threw three adjacent buildings. A trail of smoke followed behind the destruction as it unfolded.

"Insane is an understatement," remarked Ino. Hinata nodded in agreement as they watched Mirajane rise into the air, bursting from the rubble that confined her. Tsunade watched as The Demon pulled her arms to her hip, and a swirl of darkness started to form between her hands. The darkness stopped swirling, and became a transparent globe cupped between her palms.

"Soul Extinction!" Those were the words heard before Mirajane thrusted her arms forward, thus firing a massive beam of darkness magic at Tsunade. The blast washed over the Hokage, ensuing a massive explosion to occur. Anything in the vicinity of the eruption was completely destroyed, and almost all of the buildings were leveled.

"Mira..." Erza muttered.

"Lady Tsunade!" Most of the Hidden Leaf ninja shouted exasperatedly. They watched as Mirajane descended slowly over the devastated battlefield, waiting for the smoke to clear. Nobody, especially Mirajane, expected to see Tsunade standing there, breathing heavily. All the mages of Fairy Tail's jaws dropped in a similar fashion. Mirajane could see that something was different about her opponent, but she couldn't tell what. Naruto solved that for her.

"Granny Tsunade released the seal!" He shouted. That's when Mira realized that there were strange markings sprouting from the odd rhombus on her forward, stretching down to her jaw.

"What is that?" Mirajane asked, agitation mixed frustration evident as she spoke.

"I've been gathering chakra to the seal on my forehead for quite some time," she explained. "I used that chakra to stimulate production of various enzymes that accelerated my cell duplication rate for rapid reformation. I can reconstruct any damaged parts and organs of my body...its not just simple healing, it's regeneration."

"What?!" Mirajane was not expecting this at all. She was sure that she would have won with that last technique.

"In other words, I'll never die in combat...ever!" Tsunade grinned, sparking Mirajane's rage once again. The Demon flapped her demonic wings and soared right for Tsunade again! Tsunade threw a wild punch at the oncoming enemy, but the mage grabbed her fist with her left hand, and placed her right palm against the base of Tsunade's neck.

"Evil Spark!" A powerful current of electricity erupted from Mirajane's palms, sparking brightly before sending Tsunade flailing backwards, right through three separate buildings. Mirajane escaped from view as she chased after the backwards sailing Tsunade.

"This fight is so back and forth!" Naruto voiced his excitement. "That Mirajane chick is strong enough to compete with a Hokage!"

"It is exciting, but..." Neji's sweat dropped, "the outcome is what really matters, Naruto." Naruto gave a "yeah, yeah" gesture to Neji before turning to look at the fight. They watched as a plume of smoke gave way to Mirajane, who was pushing Tsunade higher and higher into the air.

"Put me down!" Tsunade demanded, although Mirajane was gripping her arms tightly as she flew higher into the sky.

"With pleasure," hissed Mirajane as she suddenly let go of Tsunade's body, letting her drop. The ninja then began her breathtaking plummet towards the ground, getting closer and closer to the rugged earth.

"A fall like that wouldn't kill Lady Tsunade...would it?" Tenten asked nervously.

"Of course not, Tenten!" Might Guy assured, even though he wasn't very confident with his own answer. Tsunade's descent continued Mirajane finally uttered a few words.

"Darkness Stream." Mirajane extended her hand towards the quickly dropping Tsunade, summoning forth her Magic Seal. A multitude of large hands composed of darkness magic stretched from the seal, grabbing hold of Tsunade before she hit the ground. "Evil Explosion!" Mirajane continued by holding her hands together, promoting a dark colored sphere to gather on her palm. She then fired the attack, ensuing a powerful beam to be expelled from her hand. The beam of darkness slammed into Tsunade's chest as the black hands let her go. The Hokage slammed into the ground under the pressure of the attack so hard that she formed a sizable crater.

"Gah!" Blood shot from Tsunade's mouth as the back of her head collided with the ground.

"Did anybody say that I was done?!" Mirajane asked as she angled herself towards Tsunade and skyrocketed towards the opponent, creating a sonic boom on the way down. As she neared the struggling body of Tsunade, she brought her knees up to a large chest, "cannonball" style. When a mere meter away, Mirajane extended her legs rapidly, slamming her heels into Tsunade's solar plexus with godawful force.

"Mirajane did it!" Natsu cheered, pumping his fists happily into the air. Makarov jabbed Natsu in the hit, telling him to look closer. They all watched as Tsunade miraculously gripped Mirajane's leg and squeezed tightly. The Hokage then heaved, tossing Mirajane off her with the little strength she had left.

"What the hell is that woman?" Gray asked, unnerved at the incredibly powerful Hokage. Tsunade strode towards the momentarily downed body of Mirajane, as The Demon tried to scramble to her feet. She finally managed to get up to her feet, and the two women found themselves staring at each other. Simultaneously, The Fifth Hokage and The Demon cocked their right arms back, readying themselves to punch one more time.

"I don't care if you defeat me," whispered Mirajane, catching Tsunade off guard, causing her fist to falter briefly.

"I thought you were going to eliminate me," Tsunade whispered back. Then she saw it. The sadness and concern in The Demon's normally cold eyes, and that's when it clicked for Tsunade. At this, the two launched their punches, each connecting to the other's jaw. After a brief standstill, Mirajane was flung backwards and landed on her back after a crash course through the town, Tsunade simply dropping to her knees. The winner was the Fifth Hokage, and this was evident as Mirajane reverted unconsciously to her normal form.

"Mira!" Makarov and Erza shouted, not wanting to accept the fact that once of their top fighters took a loss in the first round.

"You destroyed my town," sighed Saburo as he stood up next to the heavily breathing Tsunade. "But that was a _very _intriguing battle." He then placed his hand on Tsunade's neck and zapped her back to her cube. He then looked down at Mirajane and shook his head. He prodded her with his foot, encasing her in a glaring light. When it died down she was gone.

"What happened, out there Lady Tsunade?" Kakashi asked as Tsunade materialized directly beside him. "I saw you hesitate for a moment there. Why were you holding back out there? I could tell that that woman was impressively strong, but you usually end fights quicker than that. You are one of the legendary Sannin afterall." Tsunade cast him a sideways glance and spoke quietly.

"I realized that she wanted to see her brother, and she realized that sometime during the match too. Those Fairies, they get stronger and weaker depending on their feelings. She managed to go toe-to-toe with me longer than I expected, but she let her defenses down at the end." Tsunade replied quietly. Kakashi wasn't expecting this slightly awkward answer, but he accepted it anyway. Though, Kakashi assumed that the brutish Hokage would've been victorious even if the Mirajane woman hadn't let down her emotional "guard."

"Now!" Saburo shouted, regaining everybody's attention. He then closed his eyes briefly, but surely. "The Sixth Match will be between..." Saburo suddenly flicked his eyes open and exclaimed, "Choji Akimichi vs. Makarov Dreyar!"


	7. The Wrath of Which Giant?

**_Saburo's Tournament_**

**CHAPTER 7**

**The Wrath Of Which Giant?**

**_Makarov vs. Choji_**

* * *

><p>"Now!" Saburo shouted, regaining everybody's attention. He then closed his eyes briefly, but surely. "The Sixth Match will be between..." Saburo suddenly flicked his eyes open and exclaimed, "Choji Akimichi vs. Makarov Dreyar!"<p>

"You can do it!" Shikamaru called out as his ally stepped out of the cube and into the town center.

"Fat ass!" Ino shouted at him. Choji cast her a menacing glance before speaking.

"I'll win this match quickly and tear them up," he scowled. Choji had spiky, brown hair that reached his waist, swirl marks on his cheeks, and a much more robust physique than the other ninjas. He sported a red suit with plated armor on his torso, arms, and upper legs. On the front of his chest armor, the kanji for "food" was imprinted on it.

"Kakashi-sensei," Naruto whispered. Kakashi glanced at him slowly, waiting for him to continue. "Isn't this a bad situation? Isn't that old guy like their leader or something?"

"It should be safe to assume that he is their master, as I've been hearing them calling him that for a while now," Kakashi replied. "It is strange about how much of a difference in rank there is between Choji and the other man. Why would Saburo pick those two?" Captain Yamato overheard this and decided to speak up.

"He probably wants this 'Makarov' person to face off against Lady Tsunade," concluded Yamato. "So he probably just picked Choji as cannon fodder."

"That's a little harsh," mumbled Naruto as he looked on. By now, Shikamaru also overheard the conversation.

"Don't be so hard on Choji," he demanded. "Honestly, Choji's the physically strongest of the original Konoha Eleven. He just doesn't have enough confidence in himself."

"But this is not looking good," interjected Neji. "This Makarov man has an unfathomable amount of chakra!" They turned and saw that Neji was focusing intensely on the elderly man with his Byakuygan.

"Don't use too much chakra on your Byakugan," suggested Kakashi. "You could fight at any moment." Neji obeyed, deactivating his doujutsu, and focusing to watch as the battle finally started.

"Match six: begin!" Saburo exclaimed. Choji waisted no time in making the first move as he called out the name of his technique.

"Expansion Jutsu!" Choji's abdominal section seemed to inflate as it gained a very round appearance. "Spiky Human Boulder!" Choji's hair rapidly grew out to wrap around his body. The round globe of spiky, brown hair suddenly shot right towards the tiny figure of Makarov.

"Alright, Choji!" Shouted Ino exuberantly. "Crush him!" Makarov scoffed and shook his head as the attack headed for him. He suddenly roared to life as he cocked his arm behind his back.

"You're a hundred years to early for that!" He shouted as his arm enlarged to a massive proportion in comparison to Choji's Spiky Human Boulder. Despite the "spikes", Makarov gripped Choji, stopping him dead in his tracks. "NO!" Makarov shouted as he launched Choji through several buildings in the opposite direction.

"What was that?" Naruto asked, bewildered by what just happened. "Isn't that Choji's technique...?" Shikamaru shook his head in disbelief.

"It did appear to be Choji's Partial Expansion Jutsu," the chunin agreed. "Is he a member of the Akimichi clan?"

"That's not right," Kakashi replied. "These people aren't ninjas. There must be some sort of "Magic", as they called it, similar to the Akimichi Clan jutsu." Everyone accepted Kakashi's assertive answer and watched as Choji rushed out onto the battlefield again.

"Hey, old man!" Choji shouted angrily. "How do you know how to do that?" Choji took a few steps toward the tiny elder.

"It's Magic," answered Makarov honestly. Choji was unbelieving however.

"Magic my ass!" Choji shouted belligerently. "Partial Expansion Jutsu!" As Choji swung his right arm forward, it expanded in size and length. This, however, was a trivial feat to Master Makarov. The old man copied Choji's motion, throwing his arm forward and enlarging it. The only difference was that Makarov's arm was slightly larger than the ninja's.

"It's like watching Choji fight his grandpa or something!" Naruto joked. Ino was beginning to panic, nonetheless. They watched as the power struggle between Makarov and Choji came to an end with Choji being pushed back a few meters.

"It's like I'm fighting a high tier Akimichi," Choji muttered under his breath. "I guess I'll have to show him who's the plumpest of them all!"

"What's this?" Makarov scratched his chin as Choji fired off a series of motions with his hands.

"Super Expansion Jutsu!" Choji's body expanded rapidly to a size beyond belief, towering over every single structure in the vicinity.

"Waaaah! He's huge!" Lucy cried out. She watched as Choji's enormous fist barreled towards the tiny figure of Makarov. The ninja's fist slammed into the ground, creating cracks on it that spread across the whole plaza. "Master Makarov!" Lucy cried out again.

"Tch," Natsu scoffed. "You sure don't have enough confidence in Master Makarov," smirked the hot-headed mage.

"Natsu's right, for once," agreed Gray. "Master Makarov couldn't be squashed even under a fist that size." That's when something amazing happened. A gargantuan hand gripped Choji's already enormous fist. The small figure that was Makarov suddenly began to grow exponentially. In mere moments, Master Makarov's body was vast and had grown to gigantic proportions, even dwarfing Choji. The two figures encompassed the entire town.

"This is Titan!" Makarov roared, his voice alone rumbling the town. A few "amazing"s and "impossible"s could be heard in the audience. Naruto even swore that he heard an "oh shit."

"Y-you're even bigger than me," stuttered Choji, taking a large step back.

"No, Choji! Don't back away!" Shikamaru exclaimed at the top of his lungs. "Believe in yourself!" Choji heard this and decided to follow through. He suddenly charged at Makarov, taking large strides to get to him. A fist soon planted itself into Choji's belly, making him stop in his tracks.

"Raaaah!" Choji let out a battle cry as he gripped Makarov's arm and swung him away. Makarov's feet never left the ground though, Choji only managed to gain some distance. The large ninja threw another punch at Master Makarov, but it was caught again. The Titan then tore into Choji with a powerful punch of his own.

"Their punches look so slow, but each time they hit, it shakes the place to its core!" Naruto noticed.

"And Choji's getting the full brunt of it," sighed Shikamaru, shaking his head in dismay. "They have the same ability, but Choji's completely outmatched." They watched as Choji took another punch to the ribs. Then another to the face.

"There's not much hope in reversing the situation in a matchup like this," commented Kakashi.

"Choji hasn't pulled out his trump card just yet," muttered Shikamaru. "CHOJI!" He shouted, getting the large youth's attention as he deflected a punch with difficulty. "DO IT CHOJI! KICK HIS ASS, YOU FAT BASTARD!" Choji's face suddenly contorted with strong, mixed emotions.

"I can't lose here!" Choji declared, looking at Makarov. "I can't let my comrades down! I have to show them that I am worthy of becoming the Head of the Akimichi Clan!" In an instant, large blue wings constructed of pure chakra sprouted from Choji's back, and he became noticeably slimmer. The shadow casted by the butterfly-resembling wings was vast, blanketing the whole battlefield in it.

"Hmph! Learn your place, son!" Makarov roared, throwing another massive strike at Choji. Remarkably, Choji slid backwards as he stopped the punch with his defending palm.

"Not this time," whispered Choji. "I'm one-hundred times stronger than before!" Choji raised his head and looked Makarov directly in the eye as he said this. The giant landed a quick, yet powerful jab to Makarov's torso that made the old man take one step back.

"You've got spirit, boy," smirked Makarov. He watched as Choji pulled his arm back, prompting blue chakra to swirl around it like a moving gauntlet.

_Transfer all my body's chakra to my left hand_... The chakra mass surrounding Choji's fist became slightly larger. "And this strike...is going to be one-hundred times heavier!" Choji shot his left arm forward, blue chakra trailing behind it as it moved. "Butterfly Bombing!" The fist shrouded in chakra slammed into Makarov's chest, sending the man sliding backwards across the ground quite a ways.

"He got him!" Ino shouted happily, pumping her fist into the air. Shikamaru stopped her brief moment of happiness as he placed his hand on her left shoulder and shook his head.

"No," he said solemnly. "The attack wasn't strong enough." Ino's eyes opened wide as she realized Shikamaru was right. Makarov had only been injured, not defeated in the least.

"You're punch lacks the experience necessary!" Makarov pointed out. "You have strength, son, yet you have no faith in yourself, and I can tell that by your punch just now. And I'm sorry...but now I must defeat you for the sake of my children!" Choji, caught off guard completely, simply stood there in bewilderment.

"Move, Choji!" Shikamaru ordered. Choji moved in the knick of time, dodging a fatal blow to the head. "Now get him!"

"Butterfly Bombing!" Choji threw his left arm out towards Makarov again, hoping to end the gigantic fight with a last-effort blow.

"Three Pillar Gods!" Makarov swiftly crossed his arms in front of himself with his fist clenched, prompting three ethereal slabs composed of darks seals to appear beside and in front of Makarov. Choji's technique collided with the frontmost pillar, and failed to shatter it completely.

"He's already used up too much chakra," Tsunade analyzed, shaking her head solemnly. They watched as the slabs vanished from sight, but a large fist began its course toward Choji's face. Makarov landed the final, ground-shaking, strike that sent Choji slamming hard into the ground.

"After using the Calorie Control Technique, and Butterfly Bombing twice, his chakra reserve must be completely empty," commented Shikamaru as he watched his bestfriend hit the ground hard, dispersing the Super Expansion Jutsu. Makarov also cancelled his Titan mode, becoming a petit mage once again. "And he didn't have any food to restore his chakra..."

"Choji..." was all Ino could utter. Shikamaru attempted to comfort her, but he was perturbed as much as she was. Saburo was highly disappointed in the uneventful battle however.

"I should of known it wouldn't be very exciting," sighed Saburo. He then tapped on both Choji and Makarov, zapping them away to where he wanted them; Makarov to his cube, and Choji to Saburo's place. "Now, I think this should be a little more entertaining. Match Number Seven: Sai vs. Evergreen!"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: I'm sorry about this chapter being so half-assed. It's just that I had no motivation for this fight, and I feel a mild case of writer's block coming on. <strong>


	8. Ink Smothered Dust

**_Saburo's Tournament_**

**CHAPTER 8**

**Ink Smothered Dust**

**_Sai vs. Evergreen_**

* * *

><p>"Now, I think this should be a little more entertaining. Match Number Seven: Sai vs. Evergreen!" Saburo announced. A youth moved silently through the crowd inside of his cube, eventually escaping into the open air.<p>

"Greetings, my name is Sai," smiled the boy cheerfully as he introduced himself to the woman that also travelled from her containment cube. The ninja had short jet-black hair, dark black eyes, and absurdly pale skin. He wore a short, black Root jacket, with a small backpack on his shoulders. The rest of his outfit consisted of a high collared midriff shirt, black pants, ninja sandals, and gloves that exposed his index and thumb fingers. "And you're Evergreen, correct? Wouldn't it be more logical to call you 'Alwaysbrown'?"

"What?" Evergreen spat out in disgust. The mage had light brown hair that was let down in curls, and dark brown eyes, which hid behind oval glasses. She wore a revealing green dress with a rose pattern on it, which made no effort to conceal the Fairy Tail insignia on her right breast.

"Did I say something wrong?" Sai asked innocently, as he tilted his head to the side.

"You really irritate me," answered Evergreen harshly. After hearing this, Sai wore a puzzled look on his pale face. "Calling me 'Alwaysbrown'...I, the Queen of the Fairies, will teach you to keep your mouth shut!"

"If that's the case, then let match seven begin," smirked Saburo as he vanished from the plaza. After hearing these pleasant words, both combatants took swift preparations; Sai pulling out a scroll and brush, and Evergreen flipping gracefully into the air. Before the boy could take further action, he noticed the gleam of something dispersing in the air beneath Evergreen.

"Dust?" He asked aloud as the particles slowly descended towards him. Sai's usually squinted eyes opened slightly as Evergreen called out the name of her technique.

"Fairy Bomb: Gremlin!" Evergreen suddenly igniting what Sai assumed to be dust, creating a powerful explosion around him. A cloud of smoke and dust spread underneath Evergreen as she leapt nimbly onto a partially broken down building. Out of the smoke, Sai leapt towards Evergreen, equipped with a tanto and a fierce look.

"Your explosion wasn't great enough," declared Sai as he sliced through a wooden railing in hopes of cleaving the woman in half. Evergreen, however, rose above the attack as four fairy wings sprouted from her green dress.

"That was a nice attempt," she snickered. Seeing as how his opponent had taken to the air, Sai decided to do the same.

"Ninja Art: Super Beast Scrolls!" Like lightning, Sai's brush connected with his scroll, and he proceeded to smear ink across it. His creation became life-sized as it leapt from the paper. Sai swiftly jumped onto the creature, which appeared to be a large bird constructed of ink.

"That's just like Reedus' Pict Magic!" Lucy drew the comparison as Sai took off after the flying figure of Evergreen. The female mage laughed as she flew backwards, facing the Root ninja as he soared towards her.

"Super Beast Scroll!" Sai called again, putting his ink against paper once again as he rode on his creation. Smaller birds sprouted from the scroll and sailed for Evergreen as he drew them one after the other.

"More birds?" Evergreen asked as she watched the white and black 'animal' flew right towards her face. Before she could react efficiently, the bird began to _sizzle_, and it eventually exploded. The explosion drenched Evergreen and ink while also knocking her backwards. The subsequent birds did the same as the first, smearing her with the splattered ink and pushing her further and further back with each explosion.

"Let's see if you can dodge this," Evergreen chuckled as she waved her arms. "Fairy Machine Gun: Leprechaun!" The motion of Evergreen's arms producing a torrent of yellow magic needles constructed of concentrated dust.

"A useful mid-range attack," analyzed Sai as he rose about the barrage of fairy dust needles. "But it can't surpass the agility of my bird." The ink bird managed to maneuver around the Fairy Machine Gun technique's needles, getting closer and closer to Evergreen.

"Too slow~!" Evergreen whistled teasingly, soaring backwards and further out of reach as she watched Sai attempt to avoid the concentrated spikes of fairy dust. "To think that you could manage to dodge all those needles...you're pretty good. However...what If I were to double them?"

"Double them?" Sai asked, squinting even harder as a needle grazed his left bicep. True to her word, the amount of needles released was doubled and had an incredible rate of fire.

"Sai-san is in trouble!" Rock Lee pointed at the ninja as his bird spun in the air, swooping over the horizontal rain of needles. The attack, however, changed their course and began to fire at Sai once again.

"Ahahahaha!" Evergreen closed her eyes and began to laugh into the air, continuing to fly backwards blindly. She was more than happy at watching Sai struggle against the sheer amount of projectiles being continuously fired at him. The boy made another flight path as he dove underneath the aim of Fairy Machine Gun: Leprechaun. This change in course gave the ninja enough time to scribble on his scroll again.

"Ninja Art: Super Beast Scrolls!" At this instant, two different things occurred which changed the tide of the battle. Lion resembling creatures sprang from Sai's paper just as Evergreen's backside slammed harshly into the exterior of a tall building, stopping her ongoing assault. The last needle released before the technique subsided managed to pierce trough Sai's ink bird, making it erupt on contact. Sai was forced to watch his ink beasts slam into Evergreen's body as he descended, scroll still in hand.

"Sai...that sneaky bastard," smirked Shikamaru as he analyzed the current situation. Evergreen's body became completely covered in black ink as the lions washed over her. In an attempt to fly higher, Evergreen's wings suddenly stopped moving. Sai landed softly on the ground as Evergreen began her own plummet.

"He was taking advantage of that woman's lack of awareness to her environment," Kakashi began to reveal. "Pushing her back with each attack in order to divert her attention further as well as to speed up the flight. And then, to completely nullify her ability of flight, he covered her in sticky ink."

"So, Sai was trying to get her to slam into the building and cancel her flight the whole time?" Naruto asked, a wave of proudness washing over him as he thought about his comrade's tactics.

"Exactly," Shikamaru answered, smiling slightly. He watched as the "fairy" slammed into the ground with great force.

"Evergreen!" Fried shouted, his eyes open wide in shock. "This guy was an opponent that should have been dealt with my Bickslow or I." Laxus put his hand on Fried's shoulder, instantly calming the man down and bringing him to his senses. They watched with hopeful eyes as Evergreen lifted herself off the ground.

"Perhaps you should have stayed down" Sai suggested, his voice sounding kind of disappointed. "That would have saved you the trouble of being struck down twice."

"As a Fairy, I will always get back up!" Evergreen declared confidently.

"What kind of fairy can't fly?" Sai asked curiously as he glanced at the woman's ink-covered wings. "I think that would be just a normal person, don't you agree?" Naruto and Sakura let out sighs, remembering when Sai would "innocently" insult them as well.

"What was that, you pale excuse of an artist?" Evergreen asked as she fired a volley of yellow Fairy Rays at Sai. The skilled Root Ninja leapt around the first ray, somersaulted over the second, ducked under the third, sidestepped the fourth, and deflected the fifth ray with his tanto; all in quick succession. He then enscribed something on his paper again, but nothing seemed to happen. Sai took a moment to look at what he drew on the scroll before regaining focus on Evergreen.

"I said; a fairy that cannot fly is just a normal person...right?" He asked as he plastered a fake smile on his face. Evergreen's face contorted with rage at hearing Sai's degrading words.

"I can petrify the mouths of those who insult Fairies so they can open them again, you know!" She shouted. Sai rubbed his neck, unsure of what the woman was actually getting at. While charging at the ninja, Evergreen produced a cloud of fairy dust that surrounded and bound the youth. As she neared the immobile body of Sai, a concentrated sphere of fairy dust formed between her palms as she cupped them. "Fairy Combination: Dust and Orb!" As she prepared to thrust her arms forward, she suddenly found that she couldn't move a muscle. She twisted her head down and saw that black and white, snake-like creations were restraining her arms and legs like ropes.

"Then what Sai drew earlier..." Naruto began.

"Were those snakes," Neji finished. "He had been planning on something like this to happen." The ring of dust that bound Sai dispersed slowly, allowing him movement once again.

"Now you're finished," said Sai as he stepped towards the woman. "I tried to warn you to stay down to avoid the embarrassment," he sighed as he watched the woman struggle in vain to free herself from the snakes formed of ink, but she abruptly stopped.

"Embarrassment?" She asked, looking down at the ground. "Are you joking? You're the one that's going to be embarrassed, you ninja! I still have my favorite ability!" Evergreen jerked her head, making her glasses fall off her face.

"Sai!" Kakashi shouted. "Don't look in her-!" It was too late. Sai's body instantly solidified into what appeared to be stone. The ninjas gasped as they watched what just transpired. Evergreen began to snicker as her ink restraints vanished, granting her motion again.

"Stone Eyes," the woman revealed. "I guess I win then," assumed Evergreen as she began to walk away from the rock solid figure of what used to be Sai. She looked up at Saburo, who was seated on the edge of a broken second story window. The man simply stared back at her with cold, emotionless eyes.

_So her ability to petrify her opponent lies in her eyes? Then I'll have to blind her... _

Evergreen heard the sound of broken glass behind her, so she swiveled around to make sure it wasn't a sneak attack. To her relief, it was a just a bat heading her way. Wait, a bat? The creature slammed onto her face and clung to it as she squealed and attempted to pry it off. Seeing as she was blinding, she didn't even see the actual Sai step out of a nearby building. All she heard was the sound of blade being drawn, followed by the feeling of something pressing between her breasts softly.

"This is the end," whispered a voice in her ear. Sai's tanto was poised in a fatal position, ready for the woman to attempt resisting.

"So who did Evergreen turned to stone?" Lucy asked. Gray and Natsu nodded their heads and voiced the same thought.

"Sai must have used the Ink Clone Jutsu when Evergreen used Fairy Bomb: Gremlin and shrouded him in smoke. That would have been the perfect opportunity to create a clone and switch places with it, where Sai could hide in-wait and analyze his opponents abilities and tactics," Kakashi concluded, showing everybody his amazing deductive skills.

"So that ink ninja was basically a fake through the entirety of the fight?" Erza asked to Kakashi in the other cube.

"Exactly," nodded the Jonin ranked ninja.

"That's an ANBU and Root ninja for you," said Yamato slightly sarcastically. Saburo smirked as he appeared beside Sai's tanto blade.

"Then the winner of this match is Sai!" The man announced as he jabbed Sai's in his forehead protector, launching him away and into the Konoha cube. He then spun and pushed his foot into Evergreen's shin, teleporting her away and out of sight. "Now, the last fight of Block B!" Saburo laughed quietly to himself before continuing on. "Neji Hyuga vs. Natsu Dragneel!"


	9. Scorching Palms

**_Saburo's Tournament_**

**CHAPTER 9**

**Scorching Palms**

**_Natsu vs. Neji_**

* * *

><p>Now, the last fight of Block B!" Saburo laughed quietly to himself before continuing on. "Neji Hyuga vs. Natsu Dragneel!"<p>

"Alright!" Natsu grinned from ear to ear as he stepped towards the exit of the containment cube. He stepped into the town center with an obvious eagerness. He was a lean, well-built young man that stood at an average height. He also had light tan skin, black eyes, and spiky rose-colored hair. The youth also wore a scarf that was detailed with white 'scales'. His outfit consisted of a black waistcoat with gold trimmings, an he didn't wear a shirt underneath. Lastly, he had short white trousers that extended to his knees, and a black wristband on his left wrist. Natsu watched as his opponent came to stand on the battlefield. "This is finally getting interesting! I'm your opponent!"

"So it seems," replied Neji as he looked the mage up and down. Neji had long, dark brown hair that framed his face. He had fair skin and his eyes were almost blacnk in appearance. He wore a white short with loose sleeves, closed on the right shoulder, with a fastener running down the right part of the chest, matching pants, with a dark navy gray apron tied around his waist and black shinobi sandals. His face was calm, confident, and mature.

"Match Eight, begin!" Saburo shouted, leaping far away from between the two combatants. Neji got into a Gentle Fist stance and watched as a wild grin spread across his opponent's face.

"What are you standing around for?" Neji baited intensely. Natsu's wide smile only gained in size.

"Alright! I'm all fired up!" The Fire Dragon-Slayer leapt at Neji recklessly and launched a normal, yet quite powerful, punch at the ninja. Neji simply pressed his right palm against the side of Natsu's quickly approaching fist and pushed. This effortless act threw Natsu off balance, and caused him to tumble forward. The Fairy Tail mage quickly got back to his feet and began to launch a volley of strikes at Neji.

"It's pointless," declared the youth as he deflected each of the punches with his bare palms, deeming them ineffective. Natsu scoffed and threw a kick that was aimed at Neji's head. The ninja lowered his head ever so slightly, carefully avoiding the powerful strike, and countered. He pushed his palm against the back of Natsu's swinging leg, increasing the mage's rotation speed. When Natsu spun around to face Neji again, the ninja was already in extremely close range, and the veins around his eyes seemed to be protruding prominently.

"What?" Natsu asked as Neji thrusted his chakra covered palm into the mage's torso, propelling him backwards a good meter or two. Neji wore a intrigued look on his face as he watched Natsu stand up straight again.

"You went with the force of my strike in order to allow yourself to be pushed out of my range. Was this to make sure I didn't land a second hit?" He asked, smirking slightly. Natsu, however, wasn't paying attention to what he said at all.

"What the hell, man?" Natsu asked, holding his stomach tightly. "What's with your strikes? They hurt like crap on the inside!"

"It's called the Gentle Fist," answered Neji honestly, as if he were proud that Natsu acknowledged his clan's taijutsu skills. "It's a form of hand-to-hand combat used by the Hyuga clan, meant to inflict severe internal injuries through attacking the body's Chakra Network."

"Hyuga Clan? Chakra Network?" Natsu repeated questioningly. "I don't quite get it, but I can tell it's going to be a pain in the ass." The Fire Dragon-Slayer cracked his knuckles and glared at his opponent.

"If you're coming, then come on!" Neji demanded, getting a nice reaction from Natsu.

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" The Fairy Tail member's right fist became ignited in orange flames as he launched himself at the man that stood opposite of him. Natsu's shot his fist forward as Neji got into range, but the ninja tilted his head to dodge the attack.

_Flames? Does he use a fire-release combat style? _Neji asked in his head as he slid to the side. _But those were not normal flames...they had a much higher temperature! _Neji glanced at his singed hair, noticing that it was scorched even though it did not connect with Natsu's flaming fist. "You...who are you exactly?"

"Natsu," the mage answered, turning to the right in order to look Neji in the eye. "Natsu Dragneel, the Fire-Dragon Slayer of Fairy Tail," he proclaimed. Neji smirked slightly, finding his answer in the youth's sentence.

"Hmph," snickered the Konoha ninja. "It seems that I may actually find a challenge in you, if that's the case." Neji dashed forward, entering into Natsu's range in a matter of moments. Instinctively, the mage threw a right hook, but Neji easily dodged the strike and proceeded to counter. He struck Natsu's twice in the stomach, once in the face, and swiped at him with his fingers across the cheek, causing the mage to stumble back after the assault.

"Damn it," he swore, trying to gain distance between them once again.

"Do you understand now?" Neji questioned. "You have no way of beating me!" He boasted confidently. Natsu interjected by launched two more flame-engulfed punches, but both were dodged with minor difficulty by Neji. The ninja then landed two more finger jabs and palm strikes to the face, another body shot, and an additional hit to the face for safe measures. Natsu spiraled away and out of Neji's range for the time being.

"You're really tough," acknowledged Natsu in between coughs and hacks. "I think I can loosen up now! Fire Dragon's..." Natsu's cheeks inflated as he reared his head back and inhaled. He then put his hands before his mouth, and released a stream of fire between his fingers as he hollered, "ROAR!" Neji's eyes grew wide momentarily, but he quickly rationalized how to deal with the attack as he entered into a Gentle Fist stance. He then began to rapidly spin to his right, somehow managing to erect a rotating shield of blue chakra around himself. Natsu's flames collided with Neji's defense and failed to breach it entirely.

"Neji can see almost see 360 degrees with his Byakugan," Tenten began to explain. "It's pointless, really. He can detect any attack as soon as it's launched. That's when his real defense comes into play - The Eight Trigrams Palm Rotation."

"So you can defend yourself against my attack with a barrier of magic, eh?" Natsu asked, slightly intrigued. Both of his feet suddenly ignited with bright flames. The youth propelled himself into the air using the pushing force of the flames against the ground. He moved at an incredible speed, successfully getting behind Neji without him getting a chance to turn around. "But I'm guessing that you can't defend against what you can't see!" Natsu swung his flaming leg against Neji's defenseless back.

"Wrong," replied Neji calmly as he rotated again, creating another revolving barrier of chakra that launched Natsu in the opposite direction. He stopped spinning and watched as Natsu got up and dusted himself off.

"You got me again," sighed Natsu. "I can't deny that you're incredibly tough!" Another grin spread across his light face. "But this is way too exciting to end!" Natsu jumped into the air and formed two streams of fire from his hands that enveloped his whole arm and extended past it towards the ground. "Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!" Natsu then lashed the two seperate streams of flame at Neji, but the ninja positioned his body sideways in between them. He then rushed forward through the opening and landed another powerful palm strike to Natsu's rib cage, launching hims backwards.

"I told you it was pointless," taunted Neji. He watched the Dragon Slayer hit the ground harshly, but he knew that he wouldn't be there long. The ninja then changed his gaze from Natsu to his own hands, inspecting them quickly. Kakashi and Tsunade noticed this, and wondered if something were wrong with his hands. Neji quickly looked back at his opponent as he got back to his feet.

"I guess my long range attacks aren't going to work," he muttered, "but this guy is a hand-to-hand specialist!" Natsu conversed with himself, but he could soon see them impatience and annoyance on Neji's face. "Well I guess I'll just have to try again and again until something gives!" The Dragon-Slayer sprinted towards the ninja with flame wrapped hands.

"So be it," mused Neji as he took his signature stance one more time. Natsu greeted Neji with a flaming right hook, which the ninja parried with the back of his own hand. The Konoha 11 member was forced to duck in order to evade a follow-up punch from Natsu. While still ducking, Neji pushed his chakra-enveloped hand towards Natsu's heart. He struck something hard and flesh-like, but it wasn't his intended target.

"That was a close one," sighed Natsu, as Neji retrieved his hand from the mage's elbow. He wasn't quite fast enough to counter as he felt Natsu's shin slam into his face once, sending him crashing through a nearby wall. "Whoa, that took a lot of effort...but atleast I know that you can be hit!"

"That hot-head finally landed a hit," bleated Gray from the sidelines. "He took quite a beating just too land a single punch, though..." Natsu's head whipped towards Gray and he glared at him intensely.

"I heard that, bastard!" He raged, letting out little puffs of fire as he shouted.

"Pay attention," requested Neji as he stepped out of the smothering darkness of the broken down building. Natsu's head angled to face Neji again, and his body soon followed this motion. "Just because you landed a single strike doesn't give you the right to boast about it," he scolded.

"Then let's go again!" Natsu charged forward, but Neji was already prepared as he overlapped his view of Natsu with his palm.

"Eight Trigrams: Air Palm!" Neji released a high-speed palm thrust in Natsu's direction. The mage was suddenly brought to stop as the vacuum shell collided with Natsu, even going as far as to blow him off his feet before he even knew what was going on.

"Neji is having his way with this guy!" Naruto exclaimed, and Rock Lee gave his nod of agreement.

"This quite strange though," commented Might Guy cryptically. "A normal person would have been brought to their knees a few strikes ago." Naruto thought about when he had felt the full force of Neji's blows before, not quite liking the thought.

"He _did _say that he's a Dragon-Slayer as well," added Sai. "Could he possibly possess a substantial amount of chakra capable of withstanding the barrage on his tenketsu?" He asked. Tenten took the time to answer the Root Ninja's question.

"Not quite," she replied. "Neji's amazing Gentle Fist will shut down the Chakra Network completely, so the _amount_ of chakra is no good if he can't even use it."

"Then why is this guy still standing? His insides and organs should be totally shut down!" Naruto spoke.

"I've been watching the battle with my Sharingan, and it appears that Neji's opponent has managed to evade all fatal shots," commented Kakashi. "Even so, it appears that this Natsu person has a rather large amount of durability."

"You're a tricky fighter," snickered Natsu as he regained his composure. Neji simply stared at him with disinterest. "I think I spent too much time messing around, and now my body is acting all weird."

"You may not want to take any more unnecessary damage, if that's the case," teased Neji, smirking. The Dragon-Slayer replied by grinning harder, and then charged once more. "You fool."

"I'm all fired up!" Natsu, true to his words, wrapped his lower half in flames as he leapt into the air and loomed over Neji. "Fire Dragon's Claw!" Natsu flipped in the air and on his way down towards Neji, he lifted right flame-engulfed feet high above his head.

"Tch! Did you really think you'd won?" Neji crossed his forearms above his own head as Natsu landed a dropping axe kick on them. The flames lashed at Neji's skin, forcing him to act quickly in order to avoid the impending burns. The ninja grabbed Natsu's calf and and slammed him into the ground with all his might. Neji then picked Natsu back up from the cement by his scarf. "Eight Trigrams..." Neji launched another Air Palm that pushed Natsu against a building's wall. "Mountain Crusher!" Another, more powerful, burst of air forced Natsu through the brick wall with a bright light.

"Gah!" Blood shot from Natsu's mouth as he fell backwards through the gaping hole. Natsu landed with his back against the ground, surrounded with rubble as he coughed and wheezed loudly. He then rolled over slowly as Neji took a single step towards the opening in the wall. Natsu pressed his palms against the ground and managed to get his knees, but after achieving this, he coughed up another spurt of blood.

"By now, you shouldn't be able to even perform any of your fire techniques," determined Neji, looking down on his opponent. He watched with frustration as Natsu got to his feet and smiled wildly.

"We'll see," he coughed, turning to face Neji. He leapt off one foot and cocked his right arm back one more time. Neji let out a 'hmph' as he got into a Gentle Fist stance again.

"You're too slow," deemed Neji as he prepared to rotate his body. This, however was rudely interuppted by Natsu's cry.

"Fire Dragon's Flame Elbow!" A sudden burst of speed overcame Natsu's punch as a large burst of flames shot out from his elbow. With the rapid, and sudden, increase in speed, Natsu's punch landed square across Neji's jaw before he could rotate. The ninja sailed through the hole he entered through, slamming into the wall of an adjacent building. He did not slump over, however. He simply wiped the blood from his lips and assumed another Gentle Fist stance.

"That was a nice tactic, Natsu Dragneel," acknowledged the Byakugan user. "I guess I was wrong about your lack of necessary chakra. However, it's still the end for you. You are in my range and you can't escape my Eight Trigrams."

"What?" Natsu asked in between his heavy breathing. He couldn't see it, but Neji was envisioning an illuminating, bright green Eight Trigrams circle.

Like a cobra, Neji suddenly lashed out while chanting, "Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!" The ninja struck Natsu quickly twice with his stiff fingers. "Eight Trigrams Two Palms!" Neji then struck out twice more, once to Natsu's chest and the other to his hip. "Four Palms!" The ninja followed up the attack with four more precise jabs. "Eight Palms!" Eight more hits were landed with relative ease. "Sixteen Palms!" After each of the sixteen shots, Natsu was being pushed further and further back. "Thirty-Two Palms!" Another round of painful attacks were landed. "Eight Trigrams..." Blue spurts of chakra could be seen each time Neji struck. "SIXTY-FOUR PALMS!" Neji ended his series of violent blows with one wrist over the other, not even watching as Natsu flew backwards with tremendous force.

"Natsu!" The cries from his team came rushing in quickly as he landed harshly on the cement plaza.

"I told you it was pointless," remarked Neji, breathing heavier than before as he looked at his palms quickly. He watched drearily as Natsu found his way back to his knees, but the mage's eyes were cold and wavering. "I have now struck all sixty-four of your chakra points. You're lucky to still be breathing."

"You're right," agreed the boy using what little strength he had left. "I am lucky. If I hadn't used the last of my flames in that split-second to protect me, I probably wouldn't be alive."

"So that's what you did," muttered Neji as he glanced at his hands again quickly and rather unnoticeably. He then looked at the host of the tournament, who was seating on top of Fairy Tail's cube. "Saburo. It's over." The host simply smirked interestingly, and pointed at something behind Neji. The ninja spun around and watched as Natsu rose from his knees to his feet.

"I don't think so, pal," he retorted roughly. Neji's face showed frustration and even concern.

""It can't be!" Neji reckoned. "Stop this madness, you'll only get more of the same. I have nothing against you personally." He demanded, but his request was in vain. He found himself looking intensely into the battered Natsu's face. "Saburo, this has gone on long enough. I suggest you stop the match. If he's foolish enough to continue to fight, I will not be responsible for what happens to him." Saburo simply shrugged, and continued to smile wickedly.

"Don't sell me so short!" Natsu demanded, taking a step forward. "I don't know about you ninjas, but us Fairy Tail mages will always get back up!" He clenched his fist and put it out, showing how serious he was. "That's why I have to win against you...for the sake of Fairy Tail!" Neji's face was now completely void of concern as he charge forward again with a chakra covered hand. He then shot it forward and a _clapping _sound occurred. To everybody's shared surprise, Natsu gripped Neji's wrist tightly with both of his hands, only a centimeter away from his heart.

"What?" Neji asked, taken aback by the strength and reflex that Natsu possessed, even in his weakened state. His own skin began to burn as Natsu's natural body heat escaped from his skin, as he gripped Neji. "Why bother to attack me? You have no chakra to use!"

"This is my win!" Natsu smiled widely as he reared his head back. With all the strength and speed he could muster, Natsu swung his head down, slamming it into Neji's with deafening force and power. A loud _crack _resonated loudly, causing everybody's jaws hit the floor as the Dragon-Slayer's astonishing headbutt rendered Neji unconscious, and ultimately defeated. Natsu let go of Neji's wrist and allowed him to slump to the ground. Quickly after, the Fairy Tail representative also dropped to his knees, completely drained of magic and energy.

"Amazing!" Saburo shouted as he fell gracefully from atop the containment cube. "This means the winner of match eight is Natsu Dragneel!" He pat Natsu on the shoulder cheerfully, sending him away into his cube. For once, Saburo also granted the loser respect, placing two fingers on his forehead and teleporting him away. "Now, let's get the first match of Block C out of the way! Match Nine will certainly be Naruto Uzumaki vs. Laxus Dreyar!"

* * *

><p><strong>Team Konoha's Record: 3 Wins, 1 Draw<strong>

**Team Fairy Tail's Record: 4 Wins, 1 Draw**

**Next Match: Naruto Uzumaki vs. Laxus Dreyar**


	10. Yellow Streaks

**_Saburo's Tournament_**

**CHAPTER 10**

**Yellow Streaks Of A Dragon**

**_Naruto vs. Laxus_**

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Sorry for the lack of necessary info in Chapter One, as it has been brought to my attention that the time period was omitted. Well, I didn't put the timearc that this Fanfic takes place because I didn't want to limit myself. But it seems that in this chapter I was forced to decide if the story should take place before or after the Fourth Shinobi World War arc. But one thing's for certain: No Bijuu Mode Naruto, because the teamwork of the Kyuubi is certain overkill to fairies. Now, enjoy. **

* * *

><p>"Now, let's get the first match of Block C out of the way! Match Nine will certainly be Naruto Uzumaki vs. Laxus Dreyar!" Saburo announced, sounding quite pleased with this matchup. He drifted away from eyesight as Naruto and Laxus began their approach onto the battlefield.<p>

"It looks like it's finally my turn," gleamed Naruto as a massive grin spread across his face. His fellow ninja all gave him their notions of good-luck, and he exited the cube. Across from him was his opponent, Laxus.

"Hmph," huffed the man. He was a quite tall and lean blonde with piercing blue-grey eyes. His hair appeared to be slightly slicked back with numerous spikes pointing backwards, although some of it fell down onto his forehead. A prominent feature was the distinct lightning-bolt shaped scar on his right eye. Laxus wore a large hoded cloak with a dark shirt under a long light jacket kept closed by a simple belt. He also wore loose dark pants that ended below his knees and boots reminscent of his old greaves.

"I'll take you on," baited Naruto, pointing his index finger at Laxus. The ninja had blue eyes and spiky blonde hair accompanied by unique whisker marks on his face. His outfit consisted of an orange and black tracksuit, orange pants, black sandals and a long black forehead protector.

"Bring it. I'll show you just where you stand," declared Laxus, grinning slightly.

"Match Nine, begin!" Saburo's voice boomed, launching the two combatants into action. Naruto Uzumaki was the first to move, making a couple of handseals while calling out the name of his upcoming technique.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" As soon as Naruto uttered these words, four exact replicas materialized circling around him. All five Narutos shared the same goofy grin, which slightly irritated Laxus.

"I really hate fighting illusionists like you and Mystogan," frowned Laxus, looking at each of the clones one by one. "But you should know, illusions won't work on me!"

"Good," smiled Naruto as he charged forward, "because these aren't illusions, pal!" All of the replicas followed in the original's footsteps, heading straight for the mage named Laxus. The five blondes circled around Laxus, who stood firm, glancing back and forth between the clones.

"Then I'll just take them all out," asserted Laxus as the Naruto clone at 12 o'clock dashed at him. The mage lashed out with a swift spinning back kick to its jaw, launching it backwards. Laxus ducked underneath a punch from the Naruto in front of him, and planted his knee in its abdomen. "Out of my way!" Laxus grabbed the clone's head and tossed it into the previously attacked clone, dispersing both of them.

"You haven't noticed that I'm just getting started!" The voice of three Narutos echoed as they all converged around the mage. They simultaneously reeled their arms back as they entered Laxus' range. Before they knew it, they were all sailing backwards with tiny sparks flying from their bellies.

"Now, which one of us it that 'hasn't noticed', hm?" Laxus smirked as the three figures landed with their backs to the ground. Naruto grumbled as he and his clones regained composure and got back to their feet.

"You're pretty fast," acknowledged the young ninja, "but you're not as quick as Rock Lee!" Naruto charged once again with a kunai knife in hand. His two clones lingered behind him.

"The bowl-haired kid?" Laxus asked as Naruto swung arced his kunai towards Laxus, except his voice was misplaced. Instead of it being from the spot that Naruto swung at, it was heard behind him instead. The next thing Naruto saw were his two remaining replicas flying past him. "How dare you compare my speed to his." Naruto turned to face Laxus as his clones exploded into a plume of smoke.

"You're name is Laxus, right?" Naruto asked, to which the man nodded slowly. A small grin etched Naruto's young face. "Let's have some fun!" Naruto demanded, forming a quick handseal. A single clone popped up beside him, jumping right into action. Naruto held his palm out and his clone hovered his hand over it. After a few molding attempts and hard concentration, a light blue sphere rested in Naruto's palm.

"Come on," baited Laxus, intensifying his glare. Naruto rushed forward with a large ball of chakra between he and his clone's palms.

"Odama..." Naruto and his partner skidded to a halt as they neared Laxus, and drew their arms containing the attack back. "Rasengan!" The ninjas propelled their center arms forward, and just the wind spiraling around the chakra sphere was great enough to blow away Laxus' cloak. Or perhaps he simply discarded it while zapping away from Naruto's powerful technique.

"Come on now!" Laxus snickered as his voiced echoed from behind Naruto, who had ceised his charge. Naruto spun around and grinned a little bit, which through his opponent for a loop.

"I saw it," he remarked teasingly. Seeing the look of confusion on Laxus' face, he decided to elaborate. "I saw how you travel, Laxus. You can turn your body into a lightning current!"

"You sound as if you'd be able to beat me just because you figured it out," Laxus scoffed. To this, Naruto only snickered some more. "Now wipe that dumb look off your face already and bring it!" He said as a bolt of lightning sprung from his clenched fist and into Naruto, electrocuting him.

"Gah!" Naruto bleated as the electricity sparked through his body, where it would eventually die down. Naruto dropped to a knee and glanced up at Laxus. "You bastard. I've dealt with plenty of lightning-style attacks, so you're nothing but a joke!"

"A joke?" Laxus repeated questioningly. "A joke? I will prove to you that Fairy Tail is far superior to you ninjas!" The mage erupted with lightning, sending bolts snaking through the battlefield just to display his agitation.

"Don't kid yourself!" Naruto and his clone's feet beat against the hard cement as they barreled forward.

"You know..." muttered Laxus as he glanced at the approaching opponents, "I'm getting pretty damn tired of those head-on charged of yours!" Naruto ignored the remark and circled around Laxus, his clone on the opposite side. "Out of my face, trash!" The Fairy Tail representative lashed out with two bolts of electricity; one for each Naruto. The clone exploded into a cloud of light smoke while the real Naruto slid to the side, only to be greeted by the face of Laxus.

"Damn it!" Naruto cursed, gritting his teeth.

"You're wide open!" Laxus slammed his electrified heel into Naruto's chin. Before the blonde could fall out of range, Laxus grabbed his wrist while spouting, "You're not getting away that easy!" After having a fist slam into his face, Naruto smirked.

"Who's running?" He asked as he made a handseal with slight difficulty, seeing as how his right wrist was being gripped by his foe. "This is my chance to prove the power of Konoha! Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

"You little brat!" Laxus raged as he watched hundreds, yes hundreds, of clones appear in the blink of an eye around him. All of the copies wore the exact same juvial grin as Naruto. Laxus instantly let go of Naruto's forearm and took a step backwards, before erupted with electricity once again. "I should have just relied on this power of mine from the very beginning! This ultimate power is the true core of my identity!"

"I'll just beat that power of yours then!" Naruto and his clones voiced in sketchy unison as they each charged forward with large Rasengan's in hand.

"Lightning Dragon's..." Laxus reared his head back, his cheeks inflating as the Naruto clones loomed over him.

"Odama Rasen Tairengan!" The Narutos boomed, just as Laxus also finished the name of his technique.

"Roar!"

Before any of the Odama Rasengans could strike him, Laxus unleashing a rampant wave of lightning that he arced while swinging his head. The beam of lightning followed the motion of his head, incinerating any clone that dare into its trajectory. When the technique subsided from its clone destruction, all that was left were six clones and the original Naruto.

"Come and try me, Konoha!" Laxus laughed maniacally. "I'll take everything you throw at me!" Laxus proceeded to zap in front of one of the clones, launching a powerful knee strike into its chin that destroyed it. To take out the second one, he merely threw a lightning amplified straight right into it's face. Another clone was struck down by a high kick to the chin, while the fourth one ceased to exist due to a crushing headbutt. The fifth and sixth were subsequently obliterated by an explosion of lightning beneath their feet.

"You really are tough," muttered Naruto as he watched Laxus stride towards him. The man abruptly halted his walk, and lifted his clenched fist high into the air.

"Resounding through the air, the roar of thunder," he began to chant, "plunge from the heavens and reap destruction!" Laxus smirked. "Raging Bolt!" A large, spherical bolt of lightning proceeded to descend upon Naruto quickly. The attack collided with the cement, vaporizing everything that it came in immediate contact with. The smoke that was prompted by the lightning soon dispersed, revealing nothing but shattered cemetn and the charred remains of bricks.

"Hehe," snickered Laxus. "Naruto...who is the strongest man in this tournament?" He seemed to wait for a reply. "...Guess you can't answer when you've been blown to bits!" He laughed as he listened to the cries of the Konoha ninja.

"Weren't you spouting something about proving that you're better than us ninja?" A voice pondered from behind Laxus.

"Hmm?" Laxus mumbled as he began to turn to face the voice.

"Taking you out will be my job and mine alone," declared the voice. "You're not making it to the next round, Laxus." Positioned on the remains of a broken down brick wall was the gallant figure of Naruto Uzumaki, except his appearance was drastically altered. The ninja was now wrapped in a yellow shroud of chakra, which there was a visible seal on. He had also gained a necklace of magatama around his neck. Lastly, hhis hair was spiked up with the two endmost spikes resembling slight horns.

"Oh really?" Laxus asked, a look of intrigue evident on his face. "All who stand before me shall be reduced to nothing!" Laxus let loose a quick stream of electricity towards Naruto, but the attack missed completely. Naruto was nowhere in the sight of Laxus.

"Come on now," came Naruto's voice, prompting Laxus to swivel around and launch a lightning-fast punch. Naruto moved just as fast, grabbing his fist and keeping it at bay with slight difficulty. Laxus then waved his other hand, causing a burst of lightning to shoot from the ground beneath Naruto. Using his incredible reflexes, Naruto slid away from the attack.

"Damn it!" Laxus watched as a sudden Rasengan rammed into his abdomen, sending him skidding backwards. He soon came to a stop and said, "vanish!" He exteneded his opened palm and orbs of lightning fired from it. Naruto began to manuever between the blasts of lightning, but the smoke that they caused upon impact with the ground forced both Naruto and Laxus to stop their actions.

"Laxus!" Naruto cried, although all that could be seen was some sort of hand constructed of pure chakra piercing through the smokescreen. Laxus simply leapt high into the air, believing that he had escaped the hand's grasp. As he was paying close attention to the Tailed Beast Chakra Arm beneath him, he didn't see the figure of Naruto rising to meet him.

"What?" Laxus' eyes flickered up, only to catch a glimpse of Naruto's yellow fist plowing into his protecting forearms. The mage was hurtled towards the ground at an amazing speed, but Naruto was there even quicker. Four chakra arms suddenly sprouted from Naruto's body and gripped each of Laxus' appendages.

"Take this!" The four yellow arms slammed Laxus face first into the ground, shattering the cement on impact. Naruto let out a quick sigh as the chakra arms disengaged. Naruto quickly looked down as the ground beneath him illumated. The ninja reacted quickly, somersaulting backwards through the air as lightning erupted from his former position.

"As though the likes of you could ever defeat me!" Laxus roared, like literally roared, firing another wave of lightning at Naruto. The Konoha ninja vanished from sight, evading the powerful attack entirely.

"You just won't learn, will you?" Naruto asked as he came into view directly in front of Laxus. The mage responded by throwing a quick jab at Naruto, to which the boy dodged. Naruto also threw a similar punch, which Laxus also dodged. They continued this dodging match for awhile, but none of the spectators (save for Kakashi perhaps) was able to discern the lightning quick movements. The lightning Dragon Slayer escaped from the scuffle, sliding backwards along the ground. "You thought you were so powerful, but it turns out you've met your match."

"Just disappear already, Naruto!" Laxus charged forward again with a lightning encased fist.

"Don't count on it!" Naruto ordered, also charging forward with a Rasengan held in his hand. The two combatants launched their hands forward simultaneously, colliding with the other's technique. After a bitter staredown and intense power struggle, Laxus was suddenly flung backwards. "Kakashi-sensei and Captain Yamato taught me that the Wind Element beats the Lightning Element," he grinned.

"You stupid kid!" Laxus shouted, getting back to his feet. "I'll burn you so bad there won't be any ashes left of you!" He lifted his hands above his head, prompting electricity to encase them. A thin bolt of electricity connected the two spheres of lighting around Laxus' hands, giving it the appearance of a trident of spear as he launched it. "Lightning Dragon's Heavenward Halberd!"

"I don't think so, Laxus!" A large Rasengan quickly formed in Naruto's right palm, but it had three smaller Rasengans orbiting around it. "This is the strength of Konoha!" Naruto shot his Planetary Rasengan forward, causing it to collide with Laxus' lightning halberd. On contact with the lightning, the Rasengans suddenly began to spin in all different directions at a great velocity, creating a vortex.

"Is this...really Naruto-kun?" Rock Lee asked in awe. The ninja watched as the breathtaking vortex sent the lightning wave flying right back at Laxus with the added force of Naruto's Rasengan. As the attack washed over Laxus, a large explosion ensued, forcing Naruto to shield his eyes. As they flickered open, he saw the defeated, yet conscious body of Laxus lying on his back.

"The world really is a huge place..." he mumbled. "To think that a monster of a person like you exists...I still have a ways to go, Naruto Uzumaki." After speaking, Laxus drifted off into unsciousness, declaring Naruto to be the victor. The boy grinned cheesily as he walk over towards Laxus, but Saburo was already kneeling next to the body.

"Hmm," Saburo muttered, peering at Laxus. "It was a hard fought battle, but a loss is a loss. Away you go," Saburo lifted up his leg and allowed his foot to hover over Laxus' body. Before he could press it into the mage, a sudden chakra hand gripped the bottom of Saburo's foot.

"Don't you dare humiliate him by stepping on him," hissed Naruto menacingly.

"Unhand my foot, Naruto Uzumaki," the tall man ordered. "If you don't, I will be forced to harm you." To this, Naruto scowled.

"You're going to harm me?" The boy repeated angrily. "Just go away and let me take him back to his team."

"Did you forget?" Saburo asked, his foot still resting on Naruto's chakra hand. "The losers go to my personal quarters. And did you also fail to remember that you must unhand me?"

"I'm sick of you!" Naruto shot his arm forward towards Saburo's face with blinding speed. The ninja's fist connected, but not with the intended target. His fist was instead pressing against a rather large, golden edged blade. The inner color of the sword was a simple black, but Naruto's chakra shroud cast its yellow shade onto it.

"Then this is your resolution?" Saburo asked as began to push Naruto backwards by mere strength alone. "You're quite lucky that I don't want to injure one of my favorite pieces." He spoke of Naruto.

"Pieces?" They boy asked. "I'm not one of your _pieces_!" He argued, sprouting one more chakra arm from his back. The chakra arms lashed forward, hoping to strike Saburo across the face. Saburo's free hand suddenly appeared to change texture, becoming gray in color as it clasped with the chakra hand.

"I wouldn't be so content about that," Saburo inquired. "You are all my pieces." After hearing this, the outrage inside the cubes sparked. "...and if you all want to leave this tournament alive, then I suggest you do exactly as I order."

"What?" Naruto asked. _What if this guy said is true? What if he somehow kills everybody inside the cubes if we disobey? _Thoughts ran through his mind.

"Naruto," Kakashi called out calmly. "Just stay calm. If we follow his rules, we can just see how it plays out." The man attempted to diffuse the situation, as to not make any rash decisions in this strange place. Naruto obeyed after slight hesitation, lowering his fist and reverting to his base form.

"Thank you," said Saburo as he placed the handle of his blade against Naruto's chest, sending him to his cube in a flash of light. "And I assaume that it'd only be right to respect your wishes and treat Laxus with respect," he scoffed, placing his index finger on the mage's shoulder. As the mage vanished, Saburo continued. "We may now proceed into Match Ten: Ino Yamanaka vs. Wendy Marvell!"

* * *

><p><strong>Team Konoha's Record: 4 Wins, 1 Draw<strong>

**Team Fairy Tail's Record: 4 Wins, 1 Draw**

**Next Match: Ino Yamanaka vs. Wendy Marvell**


	11. Sky Dragon's Flowery Scent

**_Saburo's Tournament_**

**CHAPTER 11**

**Sky Dragon's Flowery Scent**

**_Wendy vs. Ino_**

* * *

><p>"We may now proceed into Match Ten: Ino Yamanaka vs. Wendy Marvell!" Saburo announced. Despite hearing this, everybody's mind still dwelled on what the events that had just transpired.<p>

"_You are all my pieces." _

What the hell was that all about? The Konoha Ninja and Fairy Tail mages shared looks of disgust and viable anger after hearing that from the tournament host. Yet, they were all dreadfully silent.

"_...if you all want to leave this tournament alive, then I suggest you do exactly as I order."_

Was this tournament now a battle to survive? This was a common question in the minds of the participants. Although, another question soon pierced through their concerned heads.

"Where are the ones who lost their fights?" Tsunade demanded to know. Saburo's spiteful eyes peered over at her as she spoke. "Are you holding them captive?" At the Fifth Hokage's accusation, Saburo scoffed.

"I am not such a simple man," he answered cryptically.

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?" Natsu asked, and he immediately got an answer.

"It means that I wouldn't resort to such a cliche tactic," Saburo replied. "I simply want to see you guys battle," he smirked slightly, but Kakashi interjected.

"That's not the whole truth," he assessed, his Sharingan eye focusing intently on the motion of Saburo's lips. "Now tell us what you're really up to."

"I have no obligation to answer to you, Kakashi Hatake," Saburo hissed. "...remember? You're _my _pieces." He spoke sadistically, angering many of the ninja and mages, especially Makarov.

"How dare you, Saburo!" The Guild Master raged. "If you touch my children, I will show you the wrath of Fairy Tail!" Saburo drew his eyebrows in as he listened to Makarov Dreyar's ranting.

"You senile old fool, for a 'Fairies', you all sure aren't elegant or graceful at all," said Saburo. Erza and Gray began to say something, but they couldn't even utter a word as Saburo continued, "Now, let match ten begin!" The responses were delayed, but they the orders were ultimately obeyed as Ino and Wendy stepped out to the center of the plaza.

"Goodluck," wished Wendy to her opponent. The petite girl had long, dark blue hair and brown eyes. As she smiled, it could be seen ever so slightly that her canine teeth were a bit longer than others. She wore a loose fitting, yellow and blue bare-back dress and sandals with wing designs.

"Yeah, you too," replied Ino skeptically. The kunoichi was of an average height, and had fair skin accompanied by teal eyes. A dominant trait of Ino was her long, blonde hair kept in a high ponytail, and a long bang hanging over her right eye. The girl had a curvaceous figure and a sizable bust. She wore a short, purple, sleeveless blouse and an open purple apron-skirt over a shorter, black skirt with fishnet shorts underneath.

"Should we start?" Wendy asked nervously. The girl was not quite used to one on one battles. Ino simply nodded and drew a kunai, taking a firm stance as she examined her opponent. She watched as Wendy reared her head back, her cheeks inflating as time grew.

"This is the same stance as...you've got to be kidding me!" Realization quickly struck Ino. "This little girl is a Dragon Slayer too?"

"Sky Dragon's Roar!" As Wendy's head jerked forward, her mouth opened, unleashing a large hurricane-like blast at Ino. The kunoichi barely evaded the wind as she flung herself to the side. The ninja quickly sprung back to her feet and clenched her kunai tightly.

"Whoa," muttered Ino as she noticed that the ground was hollowed out where the little girl's blast had traveled over.

"Please don't underestimate me because I'm a little," spoke Wendy softly. "So please get serious." Ino nodded in understanding.

"I'm glad you said that," smirked Ino. "If that's what you want, then here I come..." The kunoichi began to run towards Wendy, her hair bobbing as she charged. Wendy quickly took up a defensive stance, bringing her arms in front of her face as Ino approached.

"Ah!" Wendy let out a squeal as a fist pressed into her stomach, launching her backwards a few meters. Ino gave her opponent no time to recover as she charged again. Ino struck quickly, throwing two punches to Wendy's petit stomach. She then kneed Wendy in the stomach, knocking the girl into the air. To finish the assault, Ino backflipped, slamming her the top of her feet into Wendy's chin.

"You told me to get serious," teased Ino as she slid away from the falling figure of Wendy. When she hit the ground, the girl rubbed her chin tenderly before standing up.

"I should have expected that you'd be quick and precise," she said. "You are a ninja after all." She sighed and proceeded to get into a fighting stance.

"You got that right!" Ino exclaimed as she launched a shuriken at the girl across from her. Wendy raised her arms into the air and tilted her head up, quickly spouting out an incantation.

"O swift wind that dashes through the the heavens..." she chanted. "Vernier!" A bright blue magical aura surrounded the girl as leapt away from the shuriken.

_Fast! _Ino thought, watching the girl angle towards her and finally charging with a burst of blue magical aura. Ino ducked underneath a rapid punch from Wendy and was about slice at her with a kunai knife, but the Sky Dragon Slayer quickly planted her foot into Ino's jaw. The kunoichi slid to the side, gaining some distance as the aura around Wendy faded away.

"Nice one, Wendy!" Natsu cheered. He knew that the girl wasn't used to fighting directly, much less hand-to-hand combat with a capable ninja. Hearing the cheering, Ino quickly became annoyed.

"Don't think that you're equal with me!" Ino warned Wendy, whose eyes read a look of confusion.

"This isn't good," remarked Shikamaru from the sidelines. "Ino's Mind Transfer Jutsu isn't meant for one-on-one combat, so the only option Ino has is taijutsu, really. What a drag."

"I told you not to underestimate me," said Wendy softly, invoking Ino to charge at her once again. This time, the blonde formed a few handseals, prompting three copies of herself to appear in close proximity. "Vernier!" Wendy cried again, erupting with mystical aura once again. She launched a quick jab at the Ino furthest right, but the strike went right through it.

"Gotcha!" The clones disappeared and the real Ino tackled Wendy to the ground. Ino reared back, getting into a full mount position and preparing to rain down strikes. Before she could even throw a punch, the girl quickly reconsidered her position.

"Sky Dragon's Roar!" Ino was forcefully blown off the girl as a massive whirlwind engulfed her. "Vernier!" Wendy didn't let up, chasing after the sailing kunoichi and grabbing her dangling ankle. "O strengthen of arm to cleave the heavens, Arms!" Surging with more magic, Wendy slammed Ino's body into the cement with all her might.

"Gah!" Ino's back slammed against the ground, and she rolled backwards, away from Wendy's grasp. "You little brat," she hissed.

"That little girl can augment her speed and strength in a single moment," assessed Kakashi. "And a direct hit from that Dragon-Slayer technique and its unlikely that Ino will get back up." Shikamaru's face intensified. He knew that Kakashi was right in his analysis, but he didn't want face that fact.

"So you're saying Ino can't win?" Naruto asked, turning to Kakashi.

"Not quite," he replied. "Ino can still win this if her opponent runs out of chakra, or stamina for that matter." Kakashi watched nonchalantly as Ino launched another kunai at Wendy, who squealed as she dropped to the floor. Ino took advantage of this and rushed forward as Wendy stood back up.

"Take this!" Ino dashed pass her blue-haired opponent, planting to strange bouquets of violet flowers in front of Wendy before she even knew it. Wendy uttered a 'huh' as she examined the flowers, and her eyes soon opened wide as she caught a smell of something strong.

"The smell of flowers and explosives!" Wendy revealed as she prepared to leap backwards. "Vern-!" Wendy was cut off as a minor explosion engulfed her and her words. The young girl was knocked out of the rising smoke by the force of the eruption.

"That'll teach you, little girl," smirked Ino proudly. "And now while your down, I'll just take over your body and make you say 'I give up'." She declared, extending her arms out in front of her and making a little circle.

"Ino! Wait!" Shikamaru cried out, but it was too late as his female comrade Ino had already spoken.

"Mind Transfer Jutsu!" A split second after Ino spoke, Wendy also spoke as she called out, "Vernier!" The thought-to-be immobile body of Wendy quickly became ablaze in magnificent blue aura. The girl quickly dashed to the side, dodging Ino's Mind Transfer jutsu and leaving her body as an empty vessel.

"Ino should have known that her technique would miss against speed like that," sighed Shikamaru. "...and even if did end up a success, I doubt that Saburo guy would be the type to allow a combatant to simply surrender."

"Sky Dragon's..." Wendy chanted, her cheeks puffing up as she inhaled. "ROAR!" Using the remaining bit of her magic reserve, Wendy unleashed a powerful wave of wind that swept Ino off her feet and into a nearby wall. The body of Ino slumped forward, defeated by the Sky Dragon Slayer.

"There you have it," began Saburo as he once again intruded onto the battlefield in front of Ino. He wasted no time in sending the girl away in a flash of light, and he then proceeded towards Wendy. The blue-haired girl took a step back, but Saburo was upon her swiftly. Following her cautious step back, Wendy put up no resistance and allowed Saburo whisp her away to her cube.

"Alright, Wendy!" Natsu grinned. "You showed that other girl who was the boss!" He laughed. Wendy wasn't as cheerful, as she wasn't fond of the idea of violence, much less fighting against people in the same position as her and the rest of Fairy Tail.

"It looks like the three Dragon-Slayer all advanced," Erza acknowledged. Gajeel and Natsu smirked maniacally at this statement, while Wendy continued to stand quietly.

"So those are Dragon Slayers, eh?" Naruto asked. "I can't wait to pound them, and avenge Shino, Neji, and Ino!" He scowled, clenching his fist tightly and glaring in Fairy Tail's direction. Natsu caught a glimpse of him, and returned Naruto's glare with his own.

"Now," began Saburo, taking hold of the situation again. "We must quickly proceed onto the next match." He said. "Match eleven will be Shikamaru Nara vs. Gray Fullbuster."

* * *

><p><strong>Team Konoha's Record: 4 Wins, 1 Draw<strong>

**Team Fairy Tail's Record: 5 Wins, 1 Draw**

**Next Match: Shikamaru Nara vs. Gray Fullbuster**


	12. Shadow of the Ice

**_Saburo's Tournament_  
><strong>

**CHAPTER 12**

** Shadow of the Ice**

**Gray vs. Shikamaru**

* * *

><p>"Now," began Saburo, taking hold of the situation again. "We must quickly proceed onto the next match." He said. "Match eleven will be Shikamaru Nara vs. Gray Fullbuster." As soon as this was spoken, a single sigh was heard from a drooping head.<p>

"Me, eh...?" A young man with an irritated expression moved out to the battlefield from the Team Konoha Containment Cube. He had moderately long jet black hair kept into a spiky ponytail, narrow brown eyes, and had both of his ears pierced through with studs. He wore a typical Konoha flak jacket with a black long-sleeved shirt underneath it. He wore black pants and sandals to match, and green-lined mesh armor on his wrists and ankles. The last notable piece of his attire was the metal plate of a headband sewn into his left sleeve. "This is gonna be a drag."

"You sure seem uninterested," pointed out Shikamaru's opponent, Gray Fullbuster. He had spiky, dark-colored hair and dark-blue eyes. He wore white coat and a silver necklace that resembled a word with a stone in it hung around his neck. He was also equipped with a metal bracelet and a similar chain attached to his pants.

"This isn't my type of thing," replied Shikamaru, rubbing the back of his head with his right hand.

"Alright, Shikamaru!" Naruto shouted out, grinning from inside the Containment Cube. "Go for it!" Shikamaru glanced at Naruto, sighed, and turned his attention back to Gray.

"You too, Gray!" Natsu cried out, except more fiercely than Naruto had. "You'd better win so I can kick your ass in the Finals!" Instead of sighing, Gray began to bicker with the hot-headed Dragon-Slayer for a while.

"That's enough," spoke Saburo, raising his gloved hand. Shikamaru and Gray shared vision as they watched the man closely, cautious of the host. "Commence with match eleven." After speaking, Saburo retreated to his coveted spot on top of the only undamaged building within the battlefield.

"Let's do this, shinobi!" Gray grinned, pressing his right fist onto the upturned palm of his left hand. This prompted a chill to scourge the battlefield as a light blue object twice Shikamaru's size came crashing down towards him. The agile ninja sprung backwards, allowing the ice to smash on to the ground in front of him, sending shards of ice flying in multiple directions.

"Was that...ice?" Shikamaru asked, frowning as he slid to a halt.

"Yeah," Gray answered seriously. "Ice-Make magic is my specialty, so you'd better get used to it."

"I hate fighting, especially in cold weather. It's such a drag," sighed Shikamaru. He then reached into his pouch and equipped himself with a kunai knife. "But under these circumstances, I can't afford to slack off now."

"That's what I wanted to hear," replied Gray with a slight smirk upon his face. He was then forced to deflect the kunai with small fragment of ice with a swift reaction. When he cast his gaze back to Shikamaru, the youth had his hands clasped together. The glimpse of darkness moving forward caught Gray's attention, so he instinctively leapt backwards. Upon closer inspection, he discerned that the darkness was stretching from his opponent. "Is that your own shadow?"

"Darn it," scowled Shikamaru, releasing his jutsu. "I should have known that a simple tactic like that wouldn't work."

"You're like that Eisenwald goon, a shadow user," declared Gray confidently as he landed on the tips of his toes. "I think his name was Kageyama or something."

"Eisenwald? Kageyama?" Shikamaru repeated. "Doesn't sound like a member of the Nara clan to me," he blew it off, but deep inside he felt his advantage of surprise fading.

"Oh well, Natsu beat the hell out of him anyway." Gray also shrugged. He then took a step forward, prompting Shikamaru to take a step backwards. "Ice-Make: Floor!" Gray pressed his hands together before placing them on the concrete ground. This prompted the ground become sheeted in a ice, starting from Gray and spreading outwards.

_Does he think that a sheet of ice will distort my shadow?_ Shikamaru continuing leaping backwards, just out of caution. As the ground become completely enveloped in a layer of ice, the shinobi leapt onto a pile of rubble that remained unfrozen. The Konoha ninja proceeded to launch to shuriken at the mage, but they were easily deflected by two spikes of ice that sprouted in front of Gray.

"Ice-Make: Cannon!" A light-blue swirl of magic began to hover over Gray's right shoulder after he placed his palm and fist together. He then positioned his arms as if he were holding a bow as the swirl of magic solidified. What was now in Gray's arms was a hand-held cannon constructed of ice.

_This is not looking good..._ Shikimaru's face fell at the sight of the ice cannon being aimed straight for his position. The cannon erupted to life, firing a mass of ice at an incredible velocity, while the recoil flung Gray backwards. The light that was reflected from the icy cannonball was glaring enough, blinding many of the onlookers. However, they could clearly hear the destruction it caused as it crashed into the rubble Shikamaru was positioned on.

"Shikamaru!" Naruto cried out, pressing his fists against the Containment Cube. He was met with a reply, however.

"Jeez, that was close," muttered Shikamaru, sprawled on his back a few meters away from where the rubble had once stood. He began to rise from the ground, but because of the sheet of ice beneath his feet, it made the action slightly harder to accomplish. Gray took advantage of this small opening and leapt forward, his hand encase in thick ice. The frozen fist plowed into Shikamaru's defending forearms, propelling the shinobi through the air.

"He got him!" Natsu shouted, grinning from ear to ear at the strike that just landed against the opposing combatant. However, as Shikamaru slid along the ice backwards, he tossed some sort of sphere wrapped in paper onto the ground. The orb erupted into a cloud of smoke, obscuring Gray's vision and hiding Shikamaru in its wake.

"A smoke bomb?" Gray asked, waiting for the smoke to disperse. He didn't have to wait long, as the blinding gas faded into the wind. However, Shikamaru was no longer in sight. Gray peered around the battlefield, looking over all of the piles of concrete, brick, and other rubble.

_This guy's versatile, agile, and surprisingly strong. I'm going to have to come up with a plan before he overwhelms me. _Tucked behind a pile of a shattered wall inside of a building with a gaping hole in it, sat Shikamaru, his brain hard at work. He proceeded to close his eyes, put his fingers together to form a circle, and began to concentrate.

"If you think hiding is going to work, you're dead wrong!" A shout came from Gray as he pressed his palm and fist together. The ground in beneath Gray began to rise in an assortment of ice spikes that lifted him high into the air. With the advantage of height, he quickly noticed Shikamaru idle in a building on the outer edge of the battlefield. A bow of pure ice soon formed in the mage's grasp, with an arrow at the ready. Pulling the arrow back, he called out, "Ice-Make: Super Freeze Arrow!" In the blink of an eye, the frozen arrow was piercing through the air with the help of gravity and air pressure. Gray and every spectator watched through gritted teeth as the arrow ripped through the inactive shinobi's torso, the sheer force of the arrow enough to level the sullen building.

"Shikamaru!" Cries rang out through Konoha's Containment Cell as they watched the arrow decimate its target in a glaring display. Kakashi, Yamato, and Tsunade stood unaffected, however. As the light of the arrow died down, it was revealed that it had simply struck an oddly placed log.

"The Substitution Jutsu," Naruto let out a sigh of relief, which turned back to a grin as he began to cheer for his teammate again.

"Darn it," frowned Gray, scanning the area for signs of life other than Saburo. He quickly latched onto the movement of something in the corner of his eye. Bingo, it was Shikamaru, who had already formed a handseal. Gray's eyes widened as he looked for the youth's shadow, but it was already too late. Gray's movement ceased atop of his ice geyser.

"Shadow Possession Justu...success," declared Shikamaru, dropping his handseal. Gray copied his movement, dropping his hands and allowing the bow of ice to descend. It shattered upon impact with the layer of ice blanketing the ground, sending brilliant shards of ice everywhere.

"Gray!" Natsu cried out, slamming the side of his fists into the Containment Cube. "What are you just standing around for? Beat him to a pulp!" He fumed.

"So that's what your shadow does?" Gray asked. He still retained control over his facial movements. "It makes our shadows combine, so I mimic whatever you do?"

"Uh, that pretty much sums it up," replied the lazy shinobi.

"But, my shadow was already swallowed by my ice geyser," stated Gray, pushing Shikamaru to explain what happened. Glances were made at the ground, and sure enough, all that was visible was Shikamaru's shadow entering the shadow of the ice geyser.

"What a drag," sighed Shikamaru, not feeling like explaining it to the mage. "As long as there is light, there will be a shadow even within a shadow." Shikamaru began to form one more handseal as everyone looked on.

_What now?_ ran through Gray's mind as Shikamaru finished his handseal.

"Shadow Strangle Jutsu!" As these words were spoken, two shadows wrapped around Gray's ankles and spiraled higher. When the darkness reached his torso, he could see it clearly. The two shadows were dark appendages controlled by Shikamaru Nara, and the darkness even appeared to have five fingers.

_Is this a different technique? It feels like its applying actual pressure to my body, like real hands are grabbing me... _Gray clenched his teeth as he struggled to move his body, but to no immediate avail.

_The distance between us is a little more than I wanted... _Shikamaru grimaced, putting more effort into his technique. However, Gray began to exert more force, his arms moving to his will by about an inch at the most. _Damn, he's got too much chakra!_

"You can't beat me like that, Shikamaru!" Gray proclaimed, erupting with magical energy as the shadow appendages descended from his body slowly. Once he had regain control of his body, he called out, "Ice-Make: Lance!" He extended his arms forward, creating long, curved ice lances that shot towards the Konoha representative.

"This guy's good from all ranges," muttered Shikamaru as he dove to the side of the assault, although one lance managed to draw blood from his left arm. As he rose from the ice-covered ground, he equipped a tanto that was horizontally strapped onto the back of his flak jacket.

"Ice-Make: Sword!" Gray shouted. He then leapt from the geyser of ice and charged towards Shikamaru in an instant, a light-blue sword already in-hand. Gray swung his frozen weapon upwards at the same moment that Shikamaru swung his tanto downwards. Gray easily overpowered Shikamaru with his physical strength, knocking the tanto out of the shinobi's grasp.

"Shouldn't Shikamaru-san have a plan by now?" Rock Lee asked. "He always seems to have one or two in mind."

"I'm sure he has a plan, but he sure is cutting it close," answered Captain Yamato. They all watched as Gray took his icy blade and stabbed it towards Shikamaru Nara. However, before the sword could pierce through Shikamaru's torso, he suddenly stopped in his tracks. He had the shinobi's fist planted into his stomach, and his movements quickly halted.

"I got ya," smirked Shikamaru, prompting Gray to look down, and sure enough, their shadows had merged. "My Shadow Possession Justu is stronger the as the distance between us gets closer."

"Damn it, I got too close to you," frowned Gray, attempting to move. He soon found that Shikamaru was not fibbing, and he couldn't even move a muscle.

"You messed up by throwing that ice-encased punch at me earlier," stated Shikamaru. "In that punch, I saw that you're physical strength combined with your agility would make you a potent close-range fighter. I knew that you would be down for combatting me up close, and that's where I snagged you."

"What?" Gray's eyes opened wide, with confusion and surprise.

"I pulled out my tanto after you shot those ice lances at me. I even let one of them cut my left arm," began Shikamaru, "I knew that equipping a close-ranged weapon and letting my arm get an injury would bait you into challenging me head-on, whether it was a subconscious decision or not."

"Damn..." scowled Gray. "I've got to admit, you're a hell of a tactician." At this, Shikamaru smirked before backing away from Gray Fullbuster. The ice mage followed his movement, taking short steps backwards.

"He's got him!" Naruto grinned, as did Rock Lee and Tenten. They watched closely as Shikamaru elevated his right arm, prompting Gray to also raise his sword-wielding arm. In one swift motion, Shikamaru move his right fist across his upper right pectoral down to his left hip. Gray solemnly followed this motion, slashing through his own skin with his own ice blade.

"Gray!" Cries rang out throughout the Fairy Tail Containment Cube as they watched blood surface from the wound. Shikamaru disengaged the Shadow Possession Jutsu, allowing Gray to fall to the ground while he caught his own breath.

"It's over," Shikamaru stated as he turned to Saburo Kobayasha, who returned with a snide remark of his own.

"And here I thought you were the smart one," he smirked, inquiring at something. With wide eyes, Shikamaru turned around and watched as Gray found his back to his feet.

"I'm not going down like that!" Gray proclaimed. He had abandoned his snow-white jacket, revealing his toned body as well as the "x"-shaped scar on his lower abdomen. He had also frozen over the wound that he inflicted upon himself, as to not succumb to blood loss.

"Tch." Shikamaru scowled harshly at the sight of his opponent ready for another round. _My chakra's getting low...I have only one shot at beating him now. _Shikamaru watched as Gray stumbled forward, before transitioning into a full-on dash towards the shinobi. Shikamaru leapt into the air while pushing his hands into the pouch at his side. As he lashed his hands out of the pouch, he launched four kunai knives at Gray.

"You missed," taunted Gray, sharp blades made entirely of ice solidifying on his arms as he charged. He stopped running as Shikamaru landed on the ground directly in front of him. Gray wasted no time in slashing Shikamaru across his flak jacket, ripping a piece of it off. He then proceeded to attack twice more, his moves flowing together like a dance.

"What a drag," muttered Shikamaru as Gray's fourth slash came towards his throat. He grabbed Gray's wrist with his left hand, and he forced himself to try to equal Gray's strength, but the ice blade inched closer and closer to his neck. However, Shikamaru jabbed something into the ground with his right hand, although it went unnoticed by most. With Gray's ice blade only a centimeter from Shikamaru's throat, the shinobi suddenly let go of the mage's wrist. The Fairy Tail mage didn't move a single inch, although.

"What'd you do this time?" Gray asked, his mouth moving but nothing else did. In reply, Shikamaru pointed at what he stuck into the frozen ground. It was the same tanto that Gray had knocked out of Shikamaru's grasp earlier.

"I infused the blade with my own chakra, so in other words, they have the same effect as my shadow techniques," stated Shikamaru, backing away from Gray, who remained unmoving. "I pierced your shadow, and now you're paralyzed in place."

"You've tried to beat me with your shadow technique twice before, nothing's worked," reminded Gray, but his voice didn't come off as cocky. He simply seemed unsure of what Shikamaru was planning this time around.

"I lacked enough power myself, so I guess I have to resort to this," sighed Shikamaru.

"Resort to what?" Gray prodded. Shikamaru turned his back to Gray and began striding away, before stopping and looking up at the sun, it's rays bright as it lit the sky.

"Time's up." As soon as Shikamaru spoke, the explosive-tags attached to the four kunai that Shikamaru launched moments before began to detonate, blanketing Gray with explosions.

"He used the light reflected from the ice around him to ignite the explosive tags," realized Kakashi. "He truly is a diamond in the rough. A natural genius, I would say."

"I think that title belongs to you, Kakashi-senpai," suggested Captain Yamato.

"You overestimate me, Tenzo," chuckled Kakashi, much to the irritation of Yamato. They watched as the smoke dissipated, revealing the collapsed figure of Gray Fullbuster laying face-first on the ice-covered ground.

"Gray..." muttered Natsu.

"Lost?!" Lucy and other members of Fairy Tail finished the thought. However, it was Natsu who was the most effected. Gray's loss seemed to motivate him internally, and he managed to keep himself calm.

"What an excellent display," smirked Saburo, appearing before Gray in the blink of an eye. He placed his gloved hand on Gray's bare back, enveloping him in brilliant light. As the light died down, Gray Fullbuster was no longer anywhere in sight. Shikamaru quickly received the same treatment, except he materialized inside of the Konoha Cube.

"That was so troublesome," sighed Shikamaru, flopping down for a rest as the others congratulated him.

"Shall we move on?" Saburo asked, the same smirk plastered on his face as it always was. "Good. Match Twelve, the last battle of Block C, will be... Tenten vs. Cana Alberona!"

* * *

><p><strong>Team Konoha's Record: 5 wins, 1 Draw<strong>

**Team Fairy Tail's Record: 5 Wins, 1 Draw**

**Next Match: Tenten vs. Cana Alberona**

* * *

><p><strong>Author's NoteUpdate/Rant:**

**As you all can see, Saburo's Tournament is now back, and will stay consistent. However, there will be a few major changes to it. First of all, in order to avoid being called biased, I will put up a poll when I put up a new chapter, where you can vote on what the outcome of the fight should be. I will leave the poll up for one week, and then spend the next week writing the chapter. Therefore, Saburo's Tournament will be updated bi-weekly.**

**However, I still would appreciate reviews, and not just votes. Reviews help me develop the actual fight, whether it be the dialogue or strategies. So basically, I still want you guys to review like you normally do, but also go to my profile and vote as well. **

**Thanks guys, and I'll see you in two weeks. **


	13. Iron Card Game

**_Saburo's Tournament_  
><strong>

**CHAPTER 13**

**Iron Card Game**

**Cana vs. Tenten**

* * *

><p>"Shall we move on?" Saburo asked, the same smirk plastered on his face as it always was. "Good. Match Twelve, the last battle of Block C, will be... Tenten vs. Cana Alberona!"<p>

"Me, huh?" Tenten asked before entering into the small town's plaza, a look of determination upon her face. She had dark brown eyes that matched her equally brown hair, which was kept in Chinese-style buns on either side of her head with short fringe-bangs draping her forehead protector. Tenten sported a long-sleeved white blouse with a high collar adorned with a red fastener. She also wore puffy pants that resembled hakama, with the skin of her legs near her waist being exposed, although they were wrapped in bandages. _I'm so ready. After watching that last match, I'm fired up!_

"So we have to fight?" Another female that didn't appear to be much older than her opponent made an appearance on the battlefield. The young woman was quite tall for a woman so slim. She also had brown hair, but hers was long and wavy, reaching down to her lower back. Two strands of her hair framed her face and reached just below her shoulders. The scantily clad lady had a sharp face that was adorned with a voluptuous figure, her light blue bikini leaving her upper body largely exposed. She also wore calf-length brown pants.

"That's right," Tenten replied simply. She knew talking to the opponent too much would result in a drop in determination and focus, so she refrained from it. Instead, her eyes rested on the light-blue, feather-covered shoulder bag strapped diagonally across Cana's chest.

"Come on, Tenten! You can do it!" Rock Lee encouraged, pumping his arms up and down as he shouted. "Show her who is best!" From the opposite cube, the members of Fairy Tail, mainly Lucy, also began to cheer for their representative for this match.

"Begin," ordered Saburo, slicing the uproar at it's roots.

"Fine, let's do this!" Cana exclaimed, pointing her index at the kunoichi opposite of her. This prompted Tenten to leap backwards, pushing off the ground using her strong calf muscles. As she landed, the sounds of her open-toed sandals tapping against the cement resonated.

"Alright, Tenten!" Rock Lee continued the exuberant cheering for his fellow Team Guy member. "Keep her guessing!"

"Go for it! You've got the power of youth!" Might Guy now joined the background cheering, and Tenten attempted to filter them out. Successfully doing so, she leapt into the air and flung three shuriken at the opponent. The iron projectiles descended towards Cana, only to be deflecting by...cards?

"It'll take more than that," declared Cana, her hand wavering over the shoulder bag at her side. Tenten looked down at the cement between the two, inspecting the cards implanted into the ground, much like the thrown shuriken.

_What the heck are those cards made of? To deflect shuriken like that, you'd think they were iron! _Tenten landed on the ground a little further back than when she had first jumped. She took a solid step backwards, sliding her left foot back to enter into combat stance. _Maybe I should try a different approach..._

_She's measuring her distance, _denoted Cana, watching as Tenten's eyes scanned the ground between them. "Stop wasting time!" Another wave of shuriken-esque cards sailed towards the kunoichi, however they were each knocked off course by immeasurably accurate shuriken, compliments of Tenten.

"Tenten's aim is perfect!" Might Guy declared, making sure everyone (the Fairy Tail members in particular) understood the skill of his student. "She always hits her mark, and never misses!"

"So you're never miss your target, huh?" Cana asked, slowly sliding the heel of her right foot backwards. "It's not like I haven't had my fair share of fighting against proclaimed "expert" marksmen! I've had countless sparring sessions with Alzack and Bisca!"

"Oh, yeah?" Tenten asked, though she had now clue whatsoever of who the mentioned people were. Her eyes flickered up as Cana withdrew another handful of Magic Cards from her feathery shoulder bag. This time, instead of the previous strategy of deflecting the cards with shuriken, Tenten instead leapt backwards. The hurled cards collided with the ground with astounding force, reminiscent of when Rock Lee dropped his ankle weights with the ground.

"What's with those cards?" Naruto asked. "They're as tough as shuriken and apparently they're really heavy, too." He began to scratch his head sheepishly, and though he appeared to be thinking, he really was just waiting for an explanation.

"Who knows," came Kakashi's reply. "The _Magic_ these people claim to use seem to vary just as much as our own Jutsus, if not more." Naruto muttered something about his question not being completely answered, but he continued to watch the fight.

"What's Cana doing out there? She just keeps throwing cards, and none of them have hit that girl yet!" Natsu crowed.

"There's nothing wrong with testing the waters," reprimanded Erza, an intense glare on her face. "She's probably seeing if the opponent will reveal any other techniques besides throwing simple projectiles."

"Makes sense, I guess," spoke Lucy, rubbing her chin inquisitively. She then tapped her jaw and opened her mouth as she realized something. "Now that I think about it, the only person I've seen Cana fight against seriously was that Bluenote guy and well...that didn't turn out too well."

"She lasted longer than you did against him..." jabbed Natsu slyly, taking a step away from the perky blonde. Her jaw dropped at this comment and a tick mark appeared on her forehead.

"Hey! That goes for you too!" She shot back, pointing an accusing finger at him. "Gildarts was the only way capable of even touching the guy!" After speaking the male's name, she suddenly began to wonder where he was. She had seen him only briefly before Makarov told them about the mission, but where had he gone this time?

"Don't worry about that," Erza suggested. She crossed her plated arms at her armored chest before continuing on. "Cana has been a member of Fairy Tail for twelve years for a reason, you know. If you thought it was out of Master's sympathy towards lonely little girls, then you're wrong." At this, the elderly man chuckled cheekily, his peculiar hat bobbing on his head.

"Erza is right," agreed Freed, nodding his head, though his eyes were closed as if embracing a memory. "She was an S-Class Candidate for a reason, Lucy. Though, her habitual drinking might not be the healthiest choice for the lifestyle of a mage..."

"You guys are so right!" Lucy concluded, a brilliant smile forming on her pretty face. "Go Cana! You've got this!" The cheers of Fairy Tail ran rampant from their Containment Cube, forcing a slight smile upon Cana Alberona's face.

"You sure do have quite the encouragement," scowled Tenten, slowly moving towards the right side of the plaza.

"You're one to talk," replied Cana, listening to the combined exuberance of Rock Lee, Might Guy, and even Naruto Uzumaki. The mage then launched a single card next to Tenten's right foot, notifying the girl that she had noticed her subtle movements.

_Okay! _Tenten then stopped the horizontal movement and quickly changed into a dash around Cana, angling towards the mage's back in a circular motion. As she neared her brunette opponent's left side, she let loose her first set of kunai knives.

"Time to take you down a peg!" Cana proclaimed, holding a set of three cards with one in-between each finger. The mage proceeded to wave the Magic Cards at Tenten's oncoming projectiles and call out, "Ice Lance!" thus unleashing multiple bullets of ice, resembling icicles. As the two opposing projectiles collided, the paper tags equipped to the kunai knives erupted, sending shards of ice fluttering across the battlefield.

"An ice attack?" Tenten asked, now sliding to a halt as Cana's back became visible to her 12 O'clock vision. "Then how about some fire to make it even?" With a partially unraveled scroll held above her head, Tenten managed to release a raging sphere of fire from it.

"You're a real pain, aren't you?" Cana asked, spinning on her high-heeled sandal and flinging a hand of Magic Cards at the oncoming fireball. The artsy cards began to resemble flame covered bullets as they pierced through the air, fiery comet tails trailing off them.

"All that fire looks delicious!" Natsu envisioned, watching as the two separate flaming attacks collided in a_ heated_ explosion.

"They keep countering each others attacks," summarized Yamato in short. "This will get nowhere if Tenten doesn't change her strategy or pattern." The man's eyes moving feverishly to track the projectile battle displayed in the run-down plaza. His eyes finally slowed as a wooden Bo Staff found its home in Tenten's sweating hands.

"So you're taking a different approach this time, huh?" Cana asked, a few cards already prepared in her own curled hands.

"You can say that," replied the kunoichi, twirling the wooden weapon around her hands with extreme dexterity. _My best bet is to disarm her of that wretched shoulder bag. _

"Then bring on the next attack!" Cana shouted, following the same tactic of greeting Tenten with a handful of deadly cards. However, the kunoichi wasn't quite in the _welcoming _mood. Spinning around one wave of squares and deflecting the second with a well placed swing, Tenten entered close-range in a moment.

_The skill she possess with a staff is surprisingly adept. I wonder how she'd fare with a sword... _Erza couldn't help but to allow a slight smirk to appear on her face as she thought of the girl as an apprentice. She never told anybody, but deep down, she'd always wanted a student to teach the ways of the sword to.

"Let's end this!" Tenten demanded, pivoting a complete three-hundred sixty degrees to build up momentum. As she completed the rotation, she swung the meter-long staff towards Cana's shoulder bag in hopes of knocking it away, or snapping it from the straps themselves.

"Go, Tenten!" Might Guy continued his abundant encouragement as Tenten's Bo Staff prodded Cana's Magic Card container with force. However, the strike failed to dislodge the shoulder bag from its spot at Cana's right hip. Despite swearing to herself about her missed attempt, Tenten lashed out again towards the bag.

"You should know better than to take a lady's bag," scowled Cana, bringing her hand down in front of the oncoming melee weapon. Tenten wasn't quite expecting this reaction, but continued her jab anyway. When her staff collided with Cana's palm, it quickly splintered, the center of he staff bursting as the tip was pushed in.

_What just happened? _Tenten's eyes opened wide as her weapon became a useless piece of splintered wood, not hesitating to discard it.

"What's with that uncanny strength?" Naruto asked, though he knew that nobody in the Konoha cube would know how to answer the question. Though it wasn't nearly on the level of Sakura or Tsunade's superhuman strength, that woman still had some brute to her bone.

"I didn't know that drunken woman had that kind of strength" Gajeel revealed, a grin now on his face.

"She lifts kegs of booze twenty-four seven, man!" Natsu began to laugh. "That's why she's strong enough to join in on our brawls!" Makarov and Lucy sighed and nodded, knowing what the Dragon Slayer said was too true.

"Then how about this?" Cutting the mages conversation short, Tenten leapt into the air and whipped out a sizable scroll. From it, a wooden bow fell into the kunoichi's grasp with an arrow already at the ready. While upside down in midair, the Team Guy female fired the arrow with incredible precision.

_And she suddenly has a bow in her possession...is this some form of Requip Magic? What exactly are those scroll-like objects anyway? _Erza began to allow the barrage of questions to ricochet around in her brain. This kunoichi was really beginning to catch her interest, and that was a rare occurrence for Erza.

"Got it!" Tenten crowed as the steel tip of the arrow penetrated the leather of Cana's bag, knocking it clean off of the straps that held it across the woman's large chest. Before the opponent even had a chance of think about retrieving her bag, the iron chain of a kusari-gama was entangled around her shoulders all the way down to her thighs, keeping her in place.

"Damn it," hissed Cana, wriggling around to see if the sickle and chain would give way, even if just by a bit.

"I haven't dropped out yet!" Tenten proclaimed, unstrapping the giant tool summoning scroll from her lower back and hurled it into the air as hard as she could. The red scroll continued unravelling itself as it soared higher and higher into the air, forming intricate patterns as it spiraled. "Ninja Art: Heavenly Chain of Destruction!" As the massive scroll began to descend, it formed an arch over Cana and lit up brightly before small clouds of smoke began to appear on the paper. An arsenal of various weapons began to part through the miniature smoke clouds, creating a rain of iron above the targeted mage.

"Stop messin' with me!" Cana ordered, flashing a pair of Magic Cards held between her index and middle finger. Tenten had never noticed that the woman had already place two cards into her hand before her bag was discarded. As Tenten's entire arsenal fell from the heavens in blinding streaks of white, a wave of wind erupted from around Cana Alberona.

_No..._ Tenten's eyes opened wide with astonishment and regret as the waves of powerful wind began to reflect her projectiles back towards her. Seeing this, she instantly shot into a flashback from three years prior when she fought against Temari of the Sand Village. This fight had just taken a turn towards her weakness; strong winds.

"Ten..."

"Tenten..."

"**Tenten!**"

Hearing the shouts of warning from her comrades, Tenten's eyes flickered back to realization. Heading straight towards her skull was a paper tag-equipped kunai knife. Trailing behind it were more weapons from her massive arsenal of deadly weapons, ranging from kunai grenades, to fuma shuriken.

"I'm not going to get finished by my own weapons!" Tenten exclaimed, waving a scroll over her head, which in turn erected a large, metallic dome around her entire body. From the inside, Tenten could hear the sound of metal against metal as her kunai knives, shuriken, and other various weapons bounced off of her dome ineffectively.

"That was way too close," breathed Naruto, letting out a sigh of relief. His head slowly tilted upwards as he watched the metallic shell that guarded Tenten sink back into its scroll.

"You got out of the chains..." noticed Tenten, looking at the snaking kusari-gama at her opponent's feet.

"It's not my first time being tied up, ya know," was all Cana replied with. Naruto covered his nose with his right hand as his face became flush. That innuendo had found a way to unlock the cage to the youth's perverted thoughts, and it found its way to the outside world by the form of blood oozing from his nose.

"You're a cute little girl, but you're goin' down right now!" Cana proclaimed, pointing a finger at the kunoichi. At this, Tenten scowled.

"Says who?!" Tenten asked accusingly, drawing a kunai knife from a scroll that appeared in her hand almost instantaneously. Instead of shouting back, Cana simply smirked and replied calmly.

"It's in the cards," she claimed, and a bright light appeared around Tenten. For the first time, the kunoichi noticed the circular formation of Magic Cards around her.

_Darn it! She must have thrown these down while I was in my Iron Dome! _

"Summoned Lightning!" A green seal of magic appeared before Cana's extended palm, prompting the enlightened cards littered around Tenten's feet to summon bright green bolts of lightning. Like a chain, the bolts of lightning began to intertwine and lash out at Tenten with unrelenting electricity, causing the weapon's expert to scream out in pain.

"Tenten!" Rock Lee cried out, almost at the same pitch as Tenten currently was. First, Neji was defeated by that hot-headed Dragon Slayer, and now his other teammate was being devastated by a woman that was claimed to be a heavy drinker. He watched through weary eyes as Tenten collapsed on the ground, her clothes steaming and her pupils rolled back towards her skull.

"Damn it," swore Cana, dropping to her knees. She hadn't realized how much magic power she had actually used during the fight. She wasn't expecting this Erza-esque girl to put up such a fight. "I did it," she managed to mutter. This statement was followed by an uproar of cheers from Team Fairy Tail, though Konoha was solemn.

"Tenten..." muttered Might Guy. His head slumped, as he knew that he had no control over the situation. The tension rose in the air, and began to spike as Saburo spoke up once again.

"It seems that this one is a victory for Cana Alberona," he smirked, leaping from the fractured rooftop, his white cape flapping as the air pushed against it. He landed directly in front of the kneeling girl, towering over her. Even when he knelt down, she was dawrfed by the tall man. He smirked at her, though it had a negative effect, sending chills down her spine.

"Don't touch me, you-" she protested, but it was ultimately in vain as he pressed his index finger against her forehead. He then turned towards the unconscious female a few meters away as Cana became ablaze in light. He made a clicking sound with his tongue before flicking Tenten in the bicep, also enveloping her in a bright glare. Getting on with the entertainment, he quickly announced the next match with an unusual tone of excitement.

"Next up is the first match of the last block!" He grinned, revealing surprisingly sharp canine teeth in his upper jaw. "One of my personal favorite matchups...Erza Scarlett vs. Kakashi Hatake."

* * *

><p><strong>Team Konoha's Record: 5 wins, 1 Draw<strong>

**Team Fairy Tail's Record: 6 Wins, 1 Draw**

**Next Match: Erza Scarlett vs. Kakashi Hatake**

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Hey guys, just a few things I want to address before you go and vote on the next match.<strong>

**First of all, while making this chapter, I noticed that Tenten's hobby was "fortune-telling." I thought this was kind of funny because Cana is, well, a fortune-teller. But, uh...yeah. On to the important stuff.**

**In regards to the when this Fanfic takes place, it's a little complicated. Originally, I did not want to be bound by the plot timelines and whatnot, so that is why the first chapter makes everything seem so normal. Let's get this straight, sense many of you would like to know. In Fairy Tail, this takes place before The Key of The Starry Heaven (or whatever the filler arc is called) but after the 7-year timeskip. In Naruto, I guess you can say this takes place after the fight with Pain and after Naruto learns to use the Kyuubi Chakra Mode, but before the war. I know, there was no gap between the two, but for the sake of this story, let's pretend there is one. Like I said, this fanfic was not originally meant to fit into the two storylines.**

**Thirdly, in regards to you who are worried that the poll will become a popularity contest; don't worry. If I see that the poll is becoming biased, I will choose the outcome on my own. So, to you voters out there; please take every aspect of the combatants into consideration before voting. Remember, battles are not won with just brawn and brains (though, they mainly are in Naruto. In Fairy Tail, they overcome things with "friendship" you could say, but that's besides the point).**

**Lastly, for those of you wishing for exhibition matches, you will get them eventually and that's a promise. I've taken a list of all the suggested exhibition matches and plan on doing the majority of them in a separate fanfic when Saburo's Tournament nears it's end. Until then, feel free to keep suggesting matches and I will jot them down. **

**Thanks for reading, a have a nice week. **


	14. Upper Echelon

**_Saburo's Tournament_  
><strong>

**CHAPTER 14**

**Upper Echelon**

**Erza vs. Kakashi**

* * *

><p>"Next up is the first match of the last block!" He grinned, revealing surprisingly sharp canine teeth in his upper jaw. "One of my personal favorite match-ups...Erza Scarlet vs. Kakashi Hatake." Upon announcement, bodies shifted inside of the confining vessels in order to part for the combatants. The first to reach the upturned wreck of a town was the representative of team Fairy Tail.<p>

"Go get 'em, Erza!" Natsu grinned from ear to ear, the sharp teeth shining in the glint of the sun's rays. Who he spoke, the listener halted on the battlefield, hard boot meeting the concrete loudly.

"You'd better not lose, Titania," smirked Gajeel Redfox, his arms crossed over his chest as he looked on from beside Natsu.

"Don't fear," replied the Team Fairy Tail combatant, also folding her well-armored forearms over her chest as she peered towards Saburo, a slight scowl making its way across her face. "I will not be defeated today." The young woman declared confidently. Her off-the-bat trait was the long, scarlet hair that framed her face, falling to her lower-back freely. She also had a slender figure obscured by the silver armor she sported down to her hips, where it became a contrasting blue skirt. However, her legs were barely visible to the perverted eyes due to the black knee-high boots she wore. Her auburn eyes changed focus from the Tournament Host to the brightly lit Konoha Cube, where the inhabitants were parting to make way for a man.

"Surprise those buffoons with your incredible power and youth, Kakashi!" Might Guy spoke oddly, emphasizing the space between "ka" and "kashi" while rolling the "I" off his tongue. He gave his "rival" a friendly shove as he passed before him, though Kakashi replied with an unenthusiastic sigh. Might Guy ignored the gesture and allowed the next person to give their support to him.

"Kakashi," Tsunade stood tall, commanding her comrade's attention as he neared her. Seeing him look her way, she continued. "We need you to put it all on the line for this battle if you have to. I know you don't believe so, but you are probably our best chance of winning this thing."

"You're too mod-"

"No, Kakashi," she cut off his words, though he didn't take it personally in the least. She whispered the next part however. "_And besides...if you lost in the first round, it could really drop the confidence level of our team. Especially Guy and..."_

"Naruto." Kakashi finished for her, nodding all the while. He knew exactly what she meant by it and saw there was no need for anything else to be said. Giving his thanks to the Hokage, he moved on but was quickly stopped by the grin of a maniac. Or Naruto, whichever name he preferred.

"Show those jerks what you're made of, Kakashi-sensei." The grin grew wider upon the boy's face as he looked into his teacher's wandering eyes. Beneath his mask, a smirk cracked on Kakashi as he studied his long-time student.

"It's a promise, Naruto," replied Kakashi calmly, patting the youth on his shoulder before stepping out onto the battlefield. As he exited the containment cube, a wall of fresh air plowed into him. The breeze was stronger than it normally was, and the skies had already begun to darken. Similar to the sound of Erza's boot hitting the concrete, Kakashi's sandal caused an equally loud _clack_ing sound.

"So you're Kakashi Hatake," assessed Erza Scarlet, her eyes narrowing in on what she considered her pray.

"That'd be me," the man concurred, finally stopping a good two meters from Erza's position on the end of a crater formed during Tsunade and Mirajane's clash. Speaking of the Fairy Tail maiden, Erza noticed Kakashi's spiky yet lopsided hair was only slightly darker than Mirajane's shade of white. Draping from his hair was a Konoha forehead protecter that was placed at the perfect angle to obscure his left eye from all of the curious onlookers.

"Why don't you reveal your face to me?" Erza asked, her eyes now focused on the dark mask he wore, which seemed to be apart of his attire underneath the olive-colored flak jacket he donned. Erza didn't like the fact that she could only see the small triangle on the side of his face, which consisted of his right ear and his right eye, barely even an eyebrow.

"Oh, this?" He pointed up at his face, his finger hovering over his concealed left eye. Seeing Erza nod slowly, Kakashi replied cryptically, "I think it's better this way...for _your_ sake." The Fairy Tail member scowled at this, and launched a taunt of her own.

"If you don't wish to reveal it, then I will cut it down by force."

Seeing no need to respond to this declaration, Kakashi stood on the opposite side of the scabbed crater and displayed an unimpressed expression on his face. "Well then, let's get this started."

"Begin the battle!" Saburo exclaimed, his deep voice booming like thunder, despite his lightning-thin appearance. All eyes locked onto the center of the decimated battlefield, where Titania and Kakashi stood on opposite ends of the gouge in the cement. Potential energy swelling in her legs, Erza launched herself over the depression in a split second, her scarlet hair lashing at the wind like snake heads. Kakashi's eyes latched onto the light gathering in her right palm, which was in turn replaced with a well-crafted broad sword.

_A sword appeared from thin air!_ Kakashi's visible eye widened as the steel blade reflected the sun's rays as it set it's sights on his neck. More impressed with the appearance of a blade than the girl's speed itself, Kakashi simply bent his knees and ducked under the slash. The momentum of the woman forced her over Kakashi as he sprung back up, slamming his left palm and right shoulder blade into her torso.

"Guh!" Erza flew forward quite a distance before tumbling to ground, where she quickly spun to a stop and ended up in a crouched position facing Kakashi. _His reaction speed is good, as expected of what I've heard of "ninjas."_

"That was a close one. I have to admit that you surprised me with that sword summoning," admitted Kakashi, his eyes narrowed on Erza's.

"A close one?" She repeated coldly, sounding almost disgusted at what the shinobi had just said. "I am not satisfied until you're on the ground, begging to surrender."

"Well, it looks like you're not going to enjoy this battle," he stated in reply, his expression becoming more intense as he drew a kunai knife. He spun the weapon around his index finger a few times before clutching it tightly in a reverse-grip.

"Bring it, Hatake." She baited while drawing upon a second blade from her private dimension of assorted weapons. Getting to her feet, Erza waved around the two long swords whimsically, as if mimicking Kakashi.

"Let's go," he entertained, kicking off the ground. He charged towards the armored mage swiftly, staying as light on his toes as he could. The tapping of sandals quickened as the shinobi neared his target, who readied her blades for the oncoming charge. The distance between the two combatants now shattered, Kakashi drove his kunai-equipped right arm forward.

"I don't think so!" Erza rebelled, pushing her left long sword against Kakashi's oncoming kunai with tremendous force and precision, effectively disarming the man. With little hesitation, the second blade followed up the first, piercing right through the shinobi's torso with little resistance.

"What a easy win! Good job, Erza!" Natsu cheered boisterously, running around the Fairy Tail cube, much to everybody's sheer annoyance. However, his uproar was immediately cut short.

"Over here."

All eyes shifted to the figure crouching on the the half-shattered brick wall adjacent to Saburo's location atop the rooftop. With his arms draped over his knees, Kakashi watched Erza as she turned towards him. Though, her eyes were fixed on the target she knew for a fact that she had stabbed. Much to her bewilderment, there was no lump of human flesh at her feet, but instead there was a slab of rubble that had been split in half.

"It's called the Substitution Jutsu, in case you were wondering." The Copycat Ninja spoke in a nonchalant tone, as if he weren't in the middle of a battle with an S-Class Mage.

"Thanks for enlightening me," she retorted with obvious sarcasm etched in her tone. While she spoke, her armor became enveloped in shimmering light, eventually becoming the light itself, revealing bits of skin, much to the pleasure of a few perverted eyes that looked on in awe. In moments, the light flickered out of existence, revealing the new armor donned by Erza Scarlet.

_A new outfit, eh? _Kakashi studied the black armor carefully, his eyes tracing the silver trimming that framed it. He forced his eyes away from the fair amount of cleavage and stomach that the silver-edged breastplate left revealed. The plates flanking her hips and waistguard left her front exposed, though she had no intention letting someone get that close. Her legs, however, were shielded by large plates of the same, black colorway. The most prominent feature of the armor, though, were the two black wings sprouting from the back of her outfit.

"This is called the Black Wing Armor, in case you were wondering." Titania mocked, brandishing her newly-equipped sword. The dark blade was quite long and sleek, granting it a menacing appearance, a few blood-colored rhombuses adding to it.

"Impressive," replied Kakashi, his tone relaxed. Disregarding Kakashi's comment, Erza scoffed before sliding her feet along the rough cement, one piece of it upturned due to a previous bout. Before anything else could be said between the two powerful combatants, a _crack _resonated in the decimated plaza as Erza pushed off the ground and took flight.

"Say goodbye to your silly headband," demanded Titania, crushing the distance between Kakashi and herself in the blink of an eye. As she soared, wind battered against the membrane-like material connected to the black arms that lead the structure of the wings.

"I don't think so," cautioned the shinobi, springing to his feet with a steel kunai already in his hand. The knife soon confronted Erza's menacing sword as she slammed into Kakashi, pushing him from his rubble pedestal and into the air. The wind lashed out at his unveiled skin as he was flung backwards, but Erza quickly burst his bubble of space. Still under the control of momentum, Kakashi was forced to deflect a harsh slash with his weapon as a blur of black sped towards his shoulder.

"Get her, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto shouted aloud, his hands cupped around his mouth to amplify his voice to make sure that his teacher heard him loud and clear.

_Easier said than done, _muttered Kakashi as he parried a barrage of slashes with his mere kunai knife. Though, his pace was slowly but surely declining as time pressed on, while Erza's only seemed to increase as she pushed him higher and higher into the air.

"Black Wing: Moon Flash!" Erza boomed, gripping onto her blade with both hands and rearing it back towards her right side. With a flash of light, she swung the blade forward with impressive speed and force, cutting right through Kakashi's headband. Before she could succeed the slash, the man that was once Kakashi, was now a plume of smoke that clouded Erza's vision. _It was just one of those replica things that that Uzumaki boy used. So the real one should be nearby... _Erza's thoughts began to take form as her feet slid along the ground, her arms deterring away the smoke from the destroyed clone.

"Do you want to see what's behind my forehead protector that badly?"

Erza's eyes moved to the corner of their sockets, her head swiveling at a much slower rate. As her peripheral view panned out, she noticed the figure striding towards her from the shadows of a scorched townhouse on the edge of the plaza. Pinpointing his whitish hair to belong to her opponent, she turned her body to face him completely, the _tap tap _of her boots meeting the ground as she finished rotating.

"I _am_ curious as to why you limit your vision to fifty-percent during such a battle. Would this not be a handicap or detriment?...in which case, I would feel quite disrespected." Erza's brows furrowed as she began to accuse the man of not showing her the respect of fighting at one-hundred percent.

"If that's how you feel..." Kakashi moved his arm slowly, bringing over his head and placing his hand on the left side of his face, clutching the metal plate of his forehead protector. He quickly lifted the accessory from his its original position, rustling the knot nestled in his spiked hair. What had been concealed underneath of the metal plate was a cherry-red eye that had three oversized commas, tomoes, around the central pupil. "...then I'll entertain you with my Sharingan!"

Erza's eyes widened at the sight of the mystical eye that shined like blood under the sun's ever watching rays. Makarov played with the word "Sharingan" on his tongue, seeing if it triggered any memories of hearing about such a thing. He couldn't latch onto any internal information, so he continued to watch the match with a straight face.

"Now that I've revealed my eye, the fight is over," proclaimed Kakashi, his eyes boring holes into Erza's own. "You know this, Erza Scarlet. You have already thought about surrendering, haven't you?" Upon hearing this, the red-headed mage faltered for a moment.

"I have...?" Erza sounded quite unsure of herself, as if what Kakashi was speaking the truth, yet she didn't want to admit. Or as if she was doubting herself, and began to over think thing to the point where she didn't know right from wrong.

"Erza!"

A cry rang out from inside the Fairy Tail cube, and the source of it was obviously the pink-haired Dragon Slayer, Natsu Dragneel. He had begun to pound against the insides of the containment cube, flames discharging each time.

"What do you think you're doing? You'd never surrender, Erza!" He bleated. Upon having these words travel through her ear canals and relay in her brain, something sparked in her.

"Tch," she sputtered, shaking her head fiercely as to clear it, yet she instead appeared like she was violently drying to dislodge something from her hair. She then cast a quick glance at Kakashi, but only with her right eye. Her opposite eye was shut closed tightly, though nothing seemed to be attempting to pry it open. "That eye...does it lend you the power of persuasion?"

"It wouldn't be smart to answer your questions at this point, so I'll leave that up to you to decide. Either way, you have an artificial eye in_ your _right eye." His eyes narrowed on hers, though she only returned half of the glare.

"You're impressive, Kakashi Hatake. Though, I'll have you know that cheap illusions will not work on me," she smirked haughtily.

"Thanks for the heads up...now if we could get back on track," he baited. Kakashi's single red eye successfully latched onto the tiniest bit of movement as Erza's wrist twitched. The shinobi even managed to launch a kunai knife at the woman before she even finished lifting her wrist, catching her slightly off guard. Despite this, she still managed to deflect the kunai knife, though this was only a ploy by the Sharingan Warrior to calculate her approximate reaction time.

"Prepare yourself, Hatake!" Erza barked, once again launching herself through the wind in an effort to engage her opponent in close combat. As she neared the Jonin, she brought her sword wielding arm across her luscious chest, prompting the man's Sharingan eye to work double-time. As she unleashed her horizontal slash, Kakashi vaulted over the blade, spun in the wind once, and slammed his heel into the square of Erza's back. As the mage face-planted the ground, Kakashi's sandaled-feet landed on the side of a cobblestone wall and he stuck there using finely tuned chakra.

"He's sticking to the wall!" Lucy cried out in complete shock. She knew that these self-proclaimed "ninja" were throwing out tricks left and right like a pinata, but this simple one caught her off guard.

Now rearing to her armored knees, Erza turned her head to look at her opponent, who had begun to weave some sort of symbols with his hands. Though she saw the movement of her opponent's arms, the man's hands were a mere blur to her. With the gestures ending at the Tiger seal, Kakashi finally began to get serious.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

With a sudden increase in temperature around the immediate area, Erza instantly knew the sensation, compliments of her hot-headed Dragon Slayer friend. She knew that a flame was due, and a large one at that. She wasn't disappointed as a massive sphere of roaring flames was expelled from Kakashi's mouth, only meters from her kneeling position. With the bulk of flames overlapping the Jonin's vision of his opponent and the glare of the fireball blinding everyone else onlooking, every set of eyes were forced to wait and see what had become of the engulfed mage.

"I'm taking this serious now."

Hearing a feminine voice in the premises, Kakashi's eyes widened at the realization that his point-blank technique had failed to secure him a victory. In the wake of the flames, Erza Scarlet stood standing in the center of a fresh and shallow crater, a new wardrobe now strapped on.

"The Flame Empress Armor!" Somebody announced from the depths of the Mage's cube, sparking a grin upon Natsu's face. He had dealt with this dark red, burnt orange, and midnight black set of armor firsthand. He remembered being unable to even lay a hand on her pauldron-less breastplate that extended down to cover her groin. Then the thought of her orange, dragon-esque gauntlets coming towards his face, quickly wishing for Kakashi to know the sensation. Not to mention the surprisingly harsh kick she delivered against him with her dragon-claw shaped greaves. Ugh, he hated the memory of their short-lived bout, but also cherished it in contrast.

_Another set of armor with different properties...this'll be more trouble then I first thought. _Kakashi slowly moved his gaze from the dragon-like wing structures connected to her breastplate to the blood red sword in her grasp.

"Hmph," murmured the blazing mage, twirling the large bastard sword around her fingers with surprising dexterity. With a quick fixture on the orange decorated hand guard, a slash cut through the air in front of Kakashi. What was emitted from the swing was a burst of flames that sped towards the firmly planted shinobi in front of her.

"Nice try," commended Kakashi as he walked backwards along the vertical wall, his heels now in proximity of what was left of the roof. He hadn't noticed this before, and he instantly knew what was going to come next. As he predicted, his Sharingan eye picked up on the rapid movement behind the fireballs. Despite his knowledge of an oncoming attack, even Kakashi wasn't able to react efficiently as Erza appeared before him, her foot already arced back. Taking the brunt of the kick, the Jonin was thrown backwards and he bit his lip as his backside smashed through the cobblestone wall with a crunch.

"Nice _kick_ I think you meant," boasted Erza, casually pacing towards the broken down wall beyond her. The shadows hid the shinobi from her sight, but she could hear the rustle of movements and the sound of rubble being scraped to the side. The ambient noise subsided as her armored figure neared the makeshift doorway, prompting her to slow down to a halt.

As her foot tapped down against the cobblestone one last time before ceasing her movement, a set of kunai knives were flung towards her in quick succession, the source of them still obscured by darkness. However, she didn't even succumb to a flinch as she deflected each of the projectiles with her flashy sword.

"You've got nice reactions."

Erza spun around with her eyes opened wide with astonishment, almost colliding foreheads with her silver-haired opponent as he hung upside down directly above her, his feet attached to what was left of the ceiling.

_When did he get up there? _Erza asked herself, running through possible answers and explanations of it in her head. Scrapping what she had come up with, she narrowed her eyes and lashed out at Kakashi with unrelenting speed. The sword swept cleanly through the man's torso, but instead of blood leaking from the wound, only drops of water fell. Soon enough, the figure of the Copycat Ninja exploded into a glob of water that drenched Erza in its aftermath. Groaning as she realized that she had taken out yet another copy, this one containing a hefty amount of water, she turned to face the darkness of the building again. Seeing the glint of something red shine alone in the shadows, she swiftly assumed it be the Sharingan eye and launched a flurry of flames from her blade towards its position.

"Water Style: Water Wall!"

The flames that Erza had unleashed lit up the room enough for her to see what was currently happening. Kakashi had his right hand cupped around his mouth, powerful water spewing from it in the form of a rampant circle around himself. The fence of liquid successfully nullified the bursts of fire, the rising water quickly rushing towards Erza as she stood in the breach of the cobblestone.

_First fire, and now water? He's quite versatile...yet I'm already prepared for everything he throws at me._

Continuing to blow out the tremendously powerful water, Kakashi kept his eyes glazed on Erza as she made no attempt to escape from the wave. Instead, her body became a vessel to the light that wrapped around her body in its entirety.

_Don't tell me..._ Kakashi frowned, ceasing the consistent pounding of water in his mouth to watch what had become of his opponent. Instead of being lifted from her footing by the rampant waves that burst through the opening, the water instead parting for her crystalline long sword.

"The Sea Empress Armor..." Juvia muttered from the corner of the Fairy Tail, her first time speaking since Gray Fullbuster's loss.

"The Sea Empress Armor?" Kakashi asked, hearing Juvia's words despite being a fair distance away from typical earshot. "So you're resilient against Water Release techniques now."

"That's correct," the mage responded. She now donned a revealing, green armor that made her resemble some sort of mermaid warrior. There was a sizable metal piece of headgear covering her forehead with bluish fin protrusions siding her head. Her pauldrons also seemed to be modeled after marine fins, and they were linked to the revealing seaweed breastplate she wore.

"This makes things more difficult," mumbled Kakashi, scowling slightly as he began to spark up strategies.

"Come at me with all you've got!" The S-Class Mage requested strongly, lifting her light-green blade to chest-level.

_Well, there's no purpose of using water-based jutsu against that armor...let me try a different approach. _Kakashi Hatake leapt forward, launching two shuriken from the holster on his right thigh in the process. His opponent deemed the projectiles useless in a moment, but at this point, Kakashi was already diving towards the woman with a kunai knife in hand.

"Haven't we gone down this route already?" Erza asked, frowning as she was forced to press the edge of her blade against the plunging kunai. She then flicked her wrist, pressing the knife downwards, leaving her opponent disarmed in a moment. Taking advantage of the subtle opening, Erza brought her right knee up and slammed it into Kakashi's defending forearms. The force of the strike propelled Kakashi through the ceiling with a crash, creating yet another gorge in the building.

"Ugh," sputtered Kakashi, somersaulting backwards on the vacant roof, landing on his toes perfectly. He shook his forearms gently, as if attempting to alleviate the pain from the strike that had just been delivered.

There was a brief lacuna, however a high-pressured wave of water interrupted it, slicing right through the ceiling from Kakashi's right side. Then man had already noticed the slash of water from his opponent with his Sharingan, so he merely took a single step backwards, allowing the attack to cut right down the middle the building. He didn't account for the back half of the building to slide from its foundation, falling to the cement below with a defeaning series of crashes, seemingly burying Kakashi underneath of them.

"I know you're not down, Kakashi Hatake," blurted Erza, walking around the building, if it could still be called one, and stopping as she reached the pile of cobblestone and cement rubble, ash still seeping from the pile. She surveyed the debris closely, picking about the fragments with her eyes. She wasn't expecting to hear what sounded like _chirping _coming from the background.

Erza cast a glance quickly, scrutinizing through her peripheral vision at the figure that rapidly approached her, a brilliant color sparking around the blur. Before Erza even turned around to face her opponent, she was already clad in a golden and light-blue armor. The armored gauntlets were covered in golden-trimming and has slight spikes upon them, as well as her knee guards. Instead of a waistgaurd, this protective covering had a decorated cloth hanging down from her breastplate to cover her thighs and other lower regions, a single piece of cloth in the front and three on the back. Her hair was adorned by a band with two ribbons on it, and the hair itself was now a long, singular braid.

"Lightning Blade!"

Hearing the exclamation, Erza finally swiveled around completely, her massive spear swinging with her body, its tip enveloped in light. As she straightened out, a beam of lightning fired from her weapon. Her opponent made no attempt to dodge the high-velocity blast, simply pushing his sparking, azure palm forward, a spherical mass of his own electricity held within it.

"Pay attention, Naruto," requested Might Guy, smirking due to some unbeknownst reason. Seeing the confused look on the boy's juvenile face, he somewhat elaborated by continuing, "you are about to witness the origin of the Raikiri's name."

"Sounds awesome," beamed the young Uzumaki, watching on with a determined look on his face. He witnessed the clash between the two forces of electricity, Kakashi's hand pressing against the bolt of lightning fired from the mage's spear. Naruto swore that he heard the resonance of thunder from somewhere in the distance as his sensei's right hand slit right through the beam, his feet pressing on as he began his charge. As he ran, his Raikiri split the opposing electricity, sending it discharging in every direction.

"There it is...the technique that has so much concentration that it can pierce through any substance, from armor to another mass of lightning," observed Yamato, commending his senior.

"What the hell is that attack? It's cutting right through the lightning beam like it was made of butter!" Natsu wailed, but he only received a stiff jab to the leg from his Guild Master.

"You watch as well, Natsu," the petit elder ordered. The Dragon-Slayer obeyed, watching as Erza ceased the ray of lightning, instead slamming her spear into the cement with tremendous force. This action prompted a rather large magical seal to erect in front of Erza Scarlet, which was subsequently replaced by current of electricity.

_A barrier?! _Kakashi relented briefly at the sparking impediment only a few meters from himself, but he promptly advanced his tear down the cement. The lightning in his palm jolted at the ground, as if attempting to keep Kakashi back, but at this point, nothing could. That is until he met the electrical barrier paces in front of himself, pushing his sparking technique towards it with ascendancy.

"You will not win this clash!" Erza vowed as she stood steadfast, hands clutching the spear handle firmly as winds and sparks erupted from the clash of blue electricity. Kakashi grimaced as the rogue discharges from the clash pummeled his bare skin, but he didn't falter, his Lightning Blade still pressing against the magical barrier. With a pound of thunder resonating from the atmosphere, there was a grand outburst from the clash, blowing Kakashi backwards, his Raikiri already dissipated.

"H-his Lightning Blade couldn't get through her defense!" Hinata stammered worriedly, her hands held near her mouth bashfully. She watched stunned as the Jonin's back declined to encounter the unforgiving cement, rolling on his shoulder and tumbling backwards. Erza simply watched as the man whirled on the ground, his body eventually coming to rest on contact with a slab of cinderblock.

"She has a opposed all of Kakashi's techniques so far...this isn't turning out well," muttered Yamato, sweat beads forming on his brow.

"Don't underestimate Kakashi!" Both Naruto and Might Guy retorted friskily, causing Yamato to shrink back in surprise.

"Well, jeez..." he sighed as the two ninja turned back to watch the ongoing battle between Kakashi and Erza. _Maybe I am selling Kakashi-senpai short...after those years of ANBU and his long tenure of being a Jonin, I know he's capable of more than this! He must have something up his sleeve!_

_Tenzo's right. She's countered every elemental jutsu I've attempted up to this point. Each set of armor she equips give her specific properties...there's only evidence that the last three sets can negate the effects of only one element individually. _Kakashi rested his head against the brick wall as ran through the options he had left, not wasting the time to even stand. _There's no point in wasting chakra to see if she has a counter for Earth-Style Jutsu. I'm going to have to test my theory out and end this with one last push!_

"Here I come, Kakashi!" Erza warned, her Lightning Empress Armor glowing with light as her body declined towards a running position. As she exploded into a sprint, she was now donned a revealing, armored cheetah-patterned top with fur-lined edges. As she charged, the large cheetah ears adorning the sides of her head bobbed along with the feline tail.

_Speed augmenting armor! _Kakashi watched as the opposing woman became a mere blur to his right eye. His left eye, however, was working feverishly to track the fast moving mage. His Sharingan advantageously allowed him to see the image of Erza's next move, though his body couldn't react quickly enough as the short sword she held pierced through his shoulder.

"You managed to avoid a fatal injury...that eye is more trouble than I first assumed," noted Erza Scarlet. Kakashi gripped the blade penetrating his skin and glanced at the blood oozing from the wound.

"You're pretty tough," commended Kakashi, turning his attention back to the young red-head. He continued, "but it's time to turn the tides!" The man suddenly began to form rapid-fire handseals, surprising his opponent. Upon finishing, three Shadow Clones emerged into existence spread apart from Kakashi.

_What's he planning now? _Erza scowled at the arrival of the trio of replicas. Upon command, each clones dashed backwards before reaching a single point and leaping high into the air.

"All the ninjutsu I've copied, let me show them to you!" All three clones echoed while forming additional handseals. Thereafter seeing this, Erza took a powerful step away from the original Kakashi, leaving behind her short sword that was embedded in the ninja.

"Don't tell me..." Erza was cut off by the Shadow Clones as their voices boomed once again.

"Fire-Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

"Wind-Style: Devastation!"

"Water-Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"

With the words coming in unison, Erza's ears were overwhelmed, much like her eyes. She watched in utter shock was a visible spiral of wind sped towards her from the Kakashi on the far left, while the one on the far right launched a winding bullet of water that resembled a giant serpent. The center clone launched a technique familiar to Erza, the Fireball Jutsu that she had dealt with earlier in the match.

"Get her, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto roared, pumping his fists against the Containment Cube while Rock Lee and Might Guy spouted some nonsense about the "Power of Youth" or something of the sort.

"Look!" Lucy pointed her index finger towards the target of the concurrent attacks, the figure shrouded in hazy light once again. It was quickly replaced by a bulky, whitish silvwe and navy embellished armor. The breastplate was constructed of different plates joined together underneath the high armored collar. The shoulder pads of the attire were quite large and sported prominent plates shaped like spikes. Her waistgaurd seemed to be composed of light blue plates, Erza's legs underneath them being covered by black, tight-fitting pants. The most pronounced piece of the armor being the two massive halves of a single shield on each of the plated gauntlets she wore.

"It's the Adamantine Armor!" Cana instantly recognized from the bout seven years ago with the Phantom Lord MK II, and other instances from their long past together. Nobody from the opposite faction seemed to care or notice the new armor Erza was dressed in, and remained focused on the trio of attacks by Kakashi Hatake in admiration.

All eyes watched as the triad of jutsu greeted Erza Scarlet, who brought her shielded arms together in hopes of defending against the ensuing eruption that rocked the earth around them. The explosion then became a pillar of surging water, incinerating fire, and slashing winds that extended into the sky above. The pillar of devastating chakra then contracted before bursting in a plume of smoke and overwhelming ash.

"Well, that's it," sighed Kakashi as he slowly got to his unsteady feet. He face showed exhaustion, and Tsunade instantly noticed this. She said nothing however, her arms still crossed stiffly across her chest.

"That's not the end as far as I'm concerned."

Noticing motion through the fume and vapor, Kakashi withdrew a kunai knife while taking up a defensive stance. When the smoke cleared enough, he could clearly see the figure of Erza with shattered pieces of armor near her kneeling body. The ground beneath her had been collapsed, chunks of cement rising around her with a series of fissures snaking away from her.

"I wasn't expecting such a powerful attack, I'll admit," frowned Erza, getting to her scuffed feet. _My Adamantine Armor hadn't been completely restored from blocking the Jupiter Cannon, but still... _"This is the end, Kakashi Hatake." She said with a renewed focus in her eyes. Before Kakashi even knew it, the mage was clothed in a completely new set of armor.

"She's resorted to the Armadura Fairy and it's only the first round," muttered Master Makarov, pacing back and forth. He heard the distant voices mentioning the new armor from the opposing Cube, but he ignored it, admiring the armor himself. It was pink with a simplistic breastplate joined to the collar which was decorated with two wing-shaped attachments. Her new weapon of choice were a pair of identical swords with handguards that resembled pairs of wings.

"Fantastic," scowled Kakashi sarcastically. _I'm running out of chakra, while she barely seems fazed. This woman is incredible. _

"Needless to say, this armor hold the name of my guild," inquired Erza, staring coldly at the shinobi. "And I will defeat you with it, Kakashi Hatake!" She exclaimed, prompting Kakashi to narrow his gaze on the woman.

"I'll be expecting something spectacular in that case," readied Kakashi, watching as the mage burst forward with her right blade extended forward and the left one held back. Both swords began to release brilliant green energy that resembled lightning. The further Erza traveled, the more the magic began to condense together. As she neared Kakashi, she was nothing more than a sheer ray of emerald light.

_I have to use __**it**__! _Kakashi quickly realized.

The air in front of the approaching beam of magic that was Erza began to spiral into itself. As the space in front of Erza became distorted, she fell an overwhelming pull on her blade. Attempting to resist the strain initially, Erza finally gave in and let her blades go, the Kamui drawing them in. With the disappearance of her weapons, the emerald shroud around the mage did as well and the mage attempted to slow down, but at this point it was too late.

"Rasengan!"

Erza watched as a compacted sphere of chakra that was nestled in Kakashi Hatake's palm. Noting it to be blue, she was still unable to analyze the element of the ninjutsu in time as it plowed into her ever approaching torso. There was a brief pause where time seemed to come to a standstill before exploding into two-times speed. Erza was launched backwards as the sphere dissipated, a cyclone forming around her as she spun.

"Did he just..." Naruto couldn't even finish his sentence as he watched with his jaw to the floor.

"Sorry, Naruto. I had to take a page from your book this time," he joked. Though, he slowly turned his attention back to Erza, who was slumped against severely bent lamppost. Her clothes had been torn apart and blown away from her body under the force of the Rasengan's devastation. All she had left were bandages that covered the center of her breasts tightly and a pair of flaming red pants. Kakashi couldn't tell if she had requipped it, or if it had simply been underneath her Armadura Fairy Armor. "I need to finish this fight now...before I collapse."

"Perhaps this is good," coughed Erza, stumbling to her feet with the help of the lamppost she was gripping firmly. "I have shed my armor, and can now take you on with nothing in the way, Kakashi Hatake."

"Heh," he snickered at the woman. After all that damage she had sustained, she just kept pressing on with her will to fight. "You've got yourself a challenge, Erza Scarlet." At this reply, Erza smirked quickly before extended her right arm. A single, simplistic katana appeared before her, and she grasped it before it could be claimed by gravity. She watched as Kakashi knelt down and lifted a long sword from the ground, the very long sword she had used at the beginning of the fight and discarded.

"Come, Kakashi!" Erza cried, holding the katana with both hands and kicking off the ground and charging towards Kakashi, who also took off in a full-on dash. Cheers became rampant from the onlookers as they cried for their representatives victories. With one last shout of exuberance, the two combatants met in the center of the plaza in one final clash. The long sword and katana embraced one another, a loud ringing resonating from the strike. Kakashi instantly noticed the strength of the woman, and recognized it to be more than his own. "I can tell that you're no stranger to swordplay."

"That's true," admitted Kakashi, a few bits of remaining chakra into his arms in an attempt to match the mage's might. "It's just been a little while since I've had to resort to it."

"But I cannot be defeated with the amount of strength you have left," Erza declared as she began to gain the upperhand in the power struggle. "This is the end for you, Kakashi Hatake!"

"You're wrong, Erza," claimed the Jonin, straining to hold onto his blade. "It ends for you now!" With a loud _zap _noise rising into their ears, Kakashi's long sword instantly became a conduit for a consistent flow of electricity. It only took a second for the lightning coated saber to sever Erza's own katana in half. Just as the upper portion of the katana embedded itself into the ground, blood erupted from the massive wound Kakashi inflicted upon Erza.

"What?" Erza asked with eyes full of astonishment as she fell to her knees. She then began to noticeably shake as she shouted. "I cannot lose here! For the sake of my friends and comrades!"

"You can no longer fight, Erza," reported Kakashi, letting the head of his long sword rest on the blood-splattered cement. "I've cut where I did to insure that you wouldn't be able to fight on. You can't even hold a sword right now."

"You did...?" She asked, confused that she had been so foolish to engage the trained assassin in such a high-risk fashion.

"You may have superior strength and energy output, but I came equipped with experience and superior insight on how to fight swordsmen. Though, I have to admit that you are beyond the level of any opponent I've faced in my lifetime." Kakashi lectured, striding towards the mage slowly. _Though any second longer in that power struggle and I've wouldn't be standing. _

"I deem the victor of the bout the Konoha Ninja, Kakashi Hatake!" Saburo boomed as he appeared between Kakashi and Erza in one fell swoop, his cape still flickering with the wind. He quickly pressed his blade against Erza's slumped over body, and sent her into a frenzy of light. As Erza vanished from sight, he turned his sights onto the seasoned ninja.

_Some sort of Reverse-Summoning Jutsu? _Kakashi attempted to analyze it himself, but his thoughts quickly faltered, as did his movements. The exhaustion had finally overwhelmed him to the point where he could no longer stand, so his body began its descent into the ground. However, he soon found himself inside of the Containment Cube, somebody's blurred healing hands hovering over him.

"Did...Erza just lose?" was the common question within the Fairy Tail Cube. Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Wendy and even Freed seemed greatly perturbed. However, a disgruntled Makarov's voiced boomed from their cell.

"Do not falter, my children!" He ordered, his eyes full of mixed emotions, each of them overwhelming. "We will be victorious when this is all said and done!" This barely managed to expel Natsu's frustration and confusion.

"Whether you fools are shouting and weeping, it will not change the fact that the next fight will be announced immediately," Saburo hissed with a sly smile on his face, slamming his charcoal colored great-sword into the cement like it were made of butter. "And the combatants of that match will be...Freed Justine and Might Guy."

* * *

><p><strong>Team Konoha's Record: 6 wins, 1 Draw<strong>

**Team Fairy Tail's Record: 6 Wins, 1 Draw**

**Next Match: Freed Justine vs. Might Guy**

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: I don't know how many of you actually read these, but anyway...I apologize for the lateness and overwhelming length of this chapter. And for those of you sore with decision of this fight, please don't let that deter you away from Saburo's Tournament. I'm just trying to entertain my readers by creating great battles no matter who fights or who wins.<strong>

**And on another note, just because a certain technique or armor wasn't featured within the chapter does NOT mean that I didn't include it in how the fight should turn out. Actually, it's you guys deciding the victor for these bouts at the moment anyway! So I can't be called biased anymore, I'm just here to entertain. **

**And lastly, the poll results of this fight were a whopping 25 to 8 in Kakashi's favor.**


	15. Gates and Runes

**_Saburo's Tournament_  
><strong>

**CHAPTER 15**

**Gates and Runes: The Lotus That Blooms in the Winter**

**Freed vs. Guy**

* * *

><p>"Whether you fools are shouting and weeping, it will not change the fact that the next fight will be announced immediately," Saburo hissed with a sly smile on his face, slamming his charcoal colored great-sword into the cement like it were made of butter. "And the combatants of that match will be...Freed Justine and Might Guy."<p>

"Alright!" A loud shout of joy escaped the lips of one peculiar man as he pumped his right fist into the air. The shinobi looked towards his right, his eyes lowering in order to gaze upon Kakashi, who was laying on the ground with Tsunade keeping a close watch over him.

"Guy..." The Hokage whispered, her eyes glancing over her shoulder slowly. He cut her off with a quick gesture of encouragement.

"Don't worry, Lady Tsunade!" The man grinned cheekily while continuing. "I will secure a victory for Tenten and Neji! And if I fail, I will complete one-thousand laps around Konoha with only my hands!" He vowed, before turning away, where he was met with an unexpected embrace.

"Guy-Sensei!" The owner of the arms wrapped around Might Guy while weeping, squeezing ever tighter. The taller shinobi didn't seem to mind it in the least, merely patting his young replica on the shoulder.

"We'll both be in the the next round, Lee!" Guy declared with a fire blazing in his eyes, prompting Rock Lee to step back in amazement. Wiping the tears that slid down his cheeks, Lee nodded multiple times, all in quick succession. Might Guy was met with a few more words from encouragement as he shuffled past his pupil until he finally reached the cracked cement of the battlefield, where a brief silence resided.

"As the only remaining member of the Raijin Tribe in this unruly tournament, I will subject you to a fate worse than defeat."

Might Guy stared down the slowly approaching member of the opposing faction as he spoke. The mage had an apparent slim build, and was of an average height, yet, his long and bright green hair was over half of his own length. Long bangs framed his youthful face, with thin strands poking out backwards from the side of his head. Only one of his greenish-blue eyes were visible, and it inspected Might Guy closely.

"Would you tell me your name before we begin our battle?" Might Guy asked politely. It was quickly met with a dignified answer.

"My name is Freed Justine, a mage of Fairy Tail."

At this, Might Guy nodded and launched a smile at Freed so warm and friendly, that his teeth glistened in the sun. The smile was then accompanied by a generous wink and thumbs-up gesture. The famed "Nice-guy Pose," had made its appearance.

"And what is your name, shinobi?" Freed asked, honorably returning his opponent's question. As the opponent answered, Freed noticed the man's high cheek-bones, which were overlooked due to the awkward bowl-cut hairstyle the man donned, as well as his abnormally thick eyebrows. However, he did his best to remain focused on the Jonin's ensuing answer.

"I am Konoha's Sublime Green Beast of Prey, Might Guy!" The man replied with dignity, turning an upturned palm to his opponent. He brought a little distance between his two blue-sandaled feet before continuing. "...and I hope that you are stronger than your previous comrade, because _**I'm**_ even stronger than Kakashi."

This revelation hit the members of Fairy Tail like a bag of bricks, prompting them to release gasps and various other sounds of disbelief and shock. Even Freed's eyes opened slightly at this bold statement, but he quickly narrowed them.

"Here he goes," muttered Naruto, rolling his eyes at Might Guy's roundabout way of thinking. Even Naruto remembered hearing around Konoha that the two proclaimed rivals' records were fifty to fifty-one in Kakashi's favor.

_Stronger than the man that defeated Erza? That's hard to believe... it must be some sort of facade. _Freed straightened his posture as he took a relaxed breath in, his lungs feeling with a sufficient amount of oxygen. "That's an audacious statement, Might Guy. I hope you prove yourself able to back it up."

"I won't disappoint then. It's nothing personal, only the Power of Youth waiting to erupt," smirked Guy quirkily. His opponent's brows furrowed softly at his resolution, and slowly inched his hand towards his side.

"Begin the match," ordered Saburo with his excitement ever hidden underneath his tone. Just as he stepped backwards, his boot-clad feet sliding along the cement, Might Guy replaced his position with a foot already planted into Freed's torso. With a audible _crack_, the mage surged backwards, taking a course through mounds of rubble.

"He's fast!" Natsu cried, his eyes bulging with distress at what he had just witnessed. His fingers clawed at the frigid containment wall, as if trying to pry his way onto the battlefield to get a better view.

"See? Even the opponents have noticed Guy-sensei's amazing speed and overall incredibleness!" Rock Lee enthused, his eyes drawn in intensely with his right fist closed near his face. Ignoring the young shinobi's exuberance, the members of Konoha watched mutely as Freed came to a sudden halt. The man's maroon, double-breasted coat had now been ruffled up, pieces of it torn from the outfit and lying limp on jagged pieces of cinderblock.

"You do indeed possess speed worthy of acknowledgement, I'll give you that," sneered Freed, his hand plastered onto the thin sword now in his grasp. He lifted it level with Guy's upper abdomen as the man slowly approached, only to quickly bring it down to meet the dirt.

_Here he comes_. Guy watched through slitted eyelids as Freed kicked off the ground, dashing towards him at a rather quick speed. However, Might Guy had dealt with much quicker before, as the mage only had speed comparable to an upper-tier Chunin like Kiba.

Freed's pallid boots touched ground, sliding towards his opponent and lashing out at him with a single stroke. As Freed's blade flickered to life, Might Guy reared back as he exited the mage's range. The tip of the sword slashed before the shinobi harmlessly, but the assault had just begun. Changing gears and driving his blade towards Guy's throat, Freed pushed his arm forward relentlessly. However, a instinctual duck from the ninja deemed the mage's slash ineffective.

_Scratch that, his speed is more like Neji or Lee. Those slashes are almost invisible, even to my eye. _A drop of sweat forming on his forehead, Guy was forced to dodge another wave of fluid slashes and stabs from the opponent. When Freed finally leapt backwards from the skirmish, Guy had maintained a relatively undamaged status.

"You can dodge rather proficiently, Might Guy," commended the green-haired swordsman as he straightened his posture. Bringing the rapier to his side, Freed's eyes watched closely as Guy extended his right leg backwards. His gaze casually returning to the two pupils on his opponent's face, he finished his thought. "...but you should be prepared to beg for my mercy."

After stating his resolution, Freed began to illuminate with a strange, iridescent light before beginning to disassemble in a grid like pattern. Each tiny portion of the framework along the mage's body turned from a nacreous glow to a simplistic purple as they broke down. As portions of Freed began to break away in rapid succession, Might Guy could only hope to understand the workings of the technique. Soon enough, Freed Justine was completely out of the shinobi's sight as the multitude of runes dispersed into the wind.

_Where'd he go? _Guy's eyes barely managed to scope out the battle-worn landscape in his view when a glint of light entered into his peripheral vision, followed by a sharp pain in his side. Spinning around with a heel kick, Might Guy's foot connected with a fabric-clothed forearm, pushing the opponent backwards while leaving the imprint of his sandal in the material.

"That was a nice counterattack, but you can't possibly believe I'd settle with a simple slash," Freed cautioned with a surprisingly serious tone, yet he was face showed little expression. With this inquiry, Might Guy glanced at the source of the pain he felt moments earlier, and his eyes widened when he saw the area. Instead of there being a blood-spewing wound, there were dark purple characters in its place. "Those letters will become your reality, and will become your every sensation. Dark Ecriture: Pain."

"What's going on?" Naruto asked, watching with a certain tension as Might Guy's stature change. The Jonin took a weary step back and lost his footing in the process, falling into the ground while clutching his head. The lack of mobility was quickly followed by eery cries of agony and the occasional grunt while gripping at his skull tightly.

"Some sort of Genjutsu..." answered Tsunade, while watching the battle from over her shoulder. Her primary attention was still on Kakashi, who barely clung to his own consciousness. "And a high-level one that is induced by physical contact it seems." She determined.

"Guy-sensei!"

A piercing cry leapt from Rock Lee's throat, reaching all spectators and both combatant's ears. Freed's head whipped towards the Chunin, casting him an intense glare, but Rock Lee continued to call for his mentor. Noticing the rate of screams of pain decreasing, the mage turned his attention back to Might Guy, who had ceased his shaking.

_That youth's shout must have temporarily halted the sensation of pain traveling to his brain, _scowled Freed as he positioning his sword across his chest, ready to swing it once again. _If the bond between those two is enough to cancel out my Dark Ecriture, it looks like I must increase the intensity of pain! _

"Gah!"

Guy let out a stout yelp as Freed lashed out him with an assault of slashes while screeching, "Pain! Pain! Pain!" After each motion, the volume of Guy's cries increased to horrifying levels as he squirmed around.

"I've don't think I've ever seen Guy-sensei cry out in such pain," mumbled Naruto, an odd feeling of anger swelling inside of him, though he tried to keep it at bay.

"He was like this after unleashing his Seventh Gate against Kisame Hoshigaki," reported Yamato, scrutinizing the battle occurring before him. "If it's just a Genjutsu, Guy shouldn't have much of a problem...but he can't seem to dispel it."

"Then it's no ordinary Genjutsu," summarized Shikamaru, glancing at the odd man at his rear. Though Yamato nodded, Tsunade was the one to voice her thoughts on the subject.

"That technique has surpassed the boundaries of an average Genjutsu. It's no longer an illusion...it's Guy's reality now," she scowled at this realization. "Almost like the Mangekyou Sharingan's Tsukuyomi."

"Guy-Sensei! Snap out of it!" Rock Lee's shouts matched the tempo of his consistent pounding against the wall of orangish matter blocking him. Freed heard the youth's disapproving shouts and responded, however, his eyes remained locked on the struggling figure of Might Guy.

"It's no use, young shinobi," the feminine man claimed as he lifted the blade over high over his leafy-green head. "The only thought in his mind is pain at the moment. But it shall soon be swapped for something different...Fear!" With a single slash of his blade, Freed knocked Might Guy off his knees, ending the chain of fidgeting. The air became settled, and the noise from either sides died down as they waited to see what was going to happen.

"Fear?"

Freed's eyes enlarged as the voice reached his unexacting ears, and his feet subconsciously slid back. The mage watched with an edge of astonishment as Might Guy slowly brought his head up, his body soon following. "How are you resisting my Dark Ecriture: Fear?" The rune-mage insisted on knowing the answer.

"I'm afraid you have the wrong opponent for a technique like that," answered Might Guy stoutly, aiming a thumb at himself while letting out a slight smirk. "I will never lack courage, nor lose the will to fight under conditions like this! That is the power of Youth at work!" A laugh quickly followed.

"Are you an idiot?" Freed asked, taking a few subtle steps in the opposite direction as Might Guy smiled at him. "You are no youth, certainly. Those fires seemed to have burned out long ago."

"The fires of Eternal Youth will never grow weary! Let me show you what I mean!" He then extended his arms in front of his chest, rotated them roughly ninety-degrees, and bent them towards his torso as if charging up his chakra. In a split second of achieving this formation, Guy felt all of his muscles relax briefly, followed by the sensation of muscular expansion for the rest of the remaining second. _Gate of Opening! _

"What do you think you're doing?" Freed asked, partially surprised and partially angered at his opponent's sudden lack of movement. However, some instinct inside of the mage told him to strike now before it were too late, so he followed through. The moss-head leapt at the Jonin, plunging his blade towards the man as he stood firm.

_Gate of Healing, release! _

Might Guy's eyes quickly flung open, meeting Freed's own set of pupils, one of them glowing purple like a violet-washed moon. This staredown barely lasted a moment as in the next moment, Freed was unable to react to the fast motion that sent him flying backwards. His slender sword spun in the air above where he had just been, in his place, Might Guy stood with an outstretched fist, revealing it to be him that caused the mage to be sent soaring through the air. Letting Freed's blade fall before him, Guy let out a small breath as the sword planted itself into the ground.

"He's so strong!" Rock Lee cheered blatantly, to the annoyance of many others. One could only take the youth's constant yelling for so long.

"The boy doesn't lie," commented the elderly man from Fairy Tail's sideline Containment Cube. He had his hands interlocked behind the small of his back, his eyes squinting as he watched the ongoing battle.

Swinging his arms wide, Freed managed to latch onto a somewhat sturdy, but severely deformed, lamppost. The steel around his right hand was quickly pressed inwards as the mage came to an abrupt halt.

"An increase in both strength and speed...you will prove to be more trouble than I first assumed, Might Guy," realized Freed. Following his statement, he then raised his index finger across his chest slowly. Watching as the shinobi rushed towards his position, he swung his light enveloped pointer. The trail left behind the motion of the slash was instantly replaced with a set of runes, their colors reaching a glaring purple until they couldn't be read any longer. Upon reaching their peak brightness, the runes fired off in wave of rays towards the approaching opponent.

"You underestimate the speed of youth!" Might Guy crowed, pushing his body to the right with a powerful kick to the ground. As the rays of pain narrowly missed him, he focused in on Freed's position only to discern that the green-haired mage was no longer clinging to the bent lamppost.

"You underestimate the speed of the Raijin Tribe," whispered a voice into the Jonin's ears. In response, Might Guy spun around with his left arm completely extended, his fist closed fight as it braced for impact. He felt the connection of something solid, and realized that he had landed a powerful backfist against Freed's forearm, forcing the mage into a rotation.

While in mid-spin, Freed brought his right arm out in hopes of grasping the sword that rested in the ground directly behind his opponent. However, his skull was the one to catch something, and it wasn't his weapon. Instead, it was a powerful elbow strike that sent Freed face-planting into the cement. His head throbbing as he thought, Freed abandoned the task of retrieving his blade and instead had one understanding in his mind: get away.

"You bastard," hissed the rune mage as he rolled to the left, nearly catching another fist to the face. The man was quick to spring to his feet once a good two meters away however.

"I guess you regret facing off against Konoha's Green Beast!" Might Guy assumed, a wide grin contrasting the evident veins near his eyes.

"I will make you the one that regrets this battle, Might Guy," proclaimed Freed as he began to shimmer brightly. Seeing the glaring display of purple radiance, the Konoha representative erupted to life.

"Leaf Whirlwind!" The Jonin cried, swinging his right leg towards the ablaze figure of Freed's neck. However, his shin passed right through the mass of violet runes that parted and swiftly traveled away. Landing on the ground, Might Guy turned his head to the side and predicted the runes' destination, taking off in that direction.

"That guy is traveling short distances through a technique similar to the Body Flicker Technique...but he is using those foreign characters to mask his movement," analyzed Yamato, rubbing his chin subtly. "Guy should be able to match his speed, right?"

"Of course!" assured Rock Lee whole-heartedly, watching as yet another strike missed Freed as the mage disassembled into a wave of purple symbols. This occurred twice more before attacker finally realized he had to unleash one more mental lock to keep pace with the mage.

"Gate of Life, open!" Might Guy roared, pushing his arms to the side as if blowing away some unseen restraints. Following this motion, the shinobi's skin began to change pigment from a slightly tanned pale, to a pinkish-red tone. Before any member of Fairy Tail was able to comment on the transformation, Might Guy sped away towards Freed's location. Though his speed didn't undergo a drastic increase, it was just enough to reach the mage before he could disperse into runes.

"Do you even have a limit?" Freed asked, his eyes wide as the now pupil-lacking shinobi entered into his personal space. He suddenly found himself without proper footing as his body became horizontal, his hands flopping around and grasping at the air.

"No," answered Might Guy, bringing his arms to the ground and shooting his right foot into center of Freed's back with tremendous force. Before the mage's back could fold over Guy's foot completely, he was sent hurtling through the cool air. "And now the tables turn. The Lotus of Konoha blooms twice!"

Freed couldn't come to accept what had just transpired; his opponent had matched his speed within a few tries, sent him flying into the sky above the plaza, and was now directly underneath of him as he soared. He winced when the pressure of restraining fingers gripped each of his biceps, negating his upperbody movement attempts.

"What do you think you're doing? Unhand me!" Freed protested, attempting to free himself from the Jonin's grasp, but to no avail. The mage was far too feeble to escape from a position such as this.

"I won't let go of you! This overflowing youth won't allow it!" Might Guy crowed, now beginning to descend from the air with his opponent in his grasp. As he began to spiral ferociously while plummeting, Guy noticed the texture underneath his finger tips begin to morph from fabric to rough locks of fur. Before he could delve into the the matter any further, the cement ground beneath him was yearning for their impact. Might Guy fed into the ground's craving, pile-driving the mage head-first into it before somersaulting away from the crash-site before he could suffer the same fate.

A surging mass of ash and dust, along with shattered concrete towered over the point of impact. The escapee of the devastating slam slid backwards, though his focus never faltered upon the smoke.

"For this man to force Freed to rely on his speed so heavily rather than his Jutsu Shiki or swordplay...that is a damned accomplishment," Cana admitted, recalling her short-lived bout with the mage during Laxus' little rebellion phase.

"But now his trump card comes into play," snorted Makarov. All eyes watched as a bulky, muted silver, claw-tipped palm ripped through the billow of ash. Following the beastly hand was a dark, fur covered bicep, but that was all that was visible.

"You may have reached the peak of human physique..." groaned a baritone voice from within the dust cloud beyond the abominable limb. With a powerful step that caused the ground to tremble under the force, the speaker came into view. The figure was demonic in appearance, two extensive horns jutting out from his gray forehead and a left eye covered in white scales, a empty black pit in its center. Bristles of fur blanketed his the entirety of his upper body, aside from the bare muscle that was his abdomen and chest, along with his face. "But you are still only a human! I am a _demon_!"

"This is just fantastic! A true test of skill, I would say!" Might Guy grinned, the veins and red complexion altered the mood of the smile however. Cranking his hands into muscled fists, the Green Beast continued. "I can now see what is the stronger monstrosity: a beast, or a demon."

"Then let me demonstrate what happens to a lotus in the winter!" Freed snarled, launching himself forward, and Might Guy quickly followed suit. The two collided with their fists before themselves, the impact rocking the earth around them so much to the point that chunks of cement became dislodged.

The two combatants had no qualms about beginning a brutal assault of punches and kicks at each other, each blurred strike shaking the ground. Continuing the reckless abandon, Freed connected with a efficient punch to Might Guy's torso, though the shinobi didn't falter. Instead, he responded with a well-timed kick to the monster's temple.

"This is becoming reminiscent of Lady Tsunade's bout with that Mirajane woman," sighed Shikamaru, Naruto voicing his agreement as well.

"Time to squash this little praying mantis," grumbled Freed, wrenching his bulky fingers around his former companion: the lamppost that helped him regain his footing earlier in the match. With a single grunt, the white beam was ripped out of place and was now a weapon under the usage of Freed.

"You want to try fighting against me with a weapon again?" Might Guy asked, turning his body to the side to evade a crushing blow from the shaft. Being ignored verbally, Might Guy was continually forced to dodge the powerful swings of the lamppost until he spotted an opening.

"Ugh," spat Freed as a foot connected with his wrist right after missing yet another horizontal swing. The lamppost was forced out of his grasp, and a follow-up kick entered into his torso, pushing him back a good meter.

Might Guy took a courageous step forward, drawing his right fist back as he prepared to enter Freed's range. Yet, he was unexpecting of the red-coated black energy that erupted from around the monster's perimeter. The soaring magical energy was succeeded by a coal-colored twister that rejected and dismissed Might Guy's fist, sending the Jonin gliding backwards.

His vision blurred from the sudden collision with a bulky vehicle parked on the outskirts of the plaza, he barely managed to see Freed appear before him, his hands clasped together over his head.

"Darkness Flare Bomb!" the demonic mage exclaimed, smashing his magic-encased hands into Might Guy's torso. The recipient of the leveling blow was forced through the center of the truck, wrecking anything behind him as force and momentum drove the green shinobi.

"Good going, Freed!" Natsu peppered the mage with words of encouragement and various compliments, but the receiver was unsure.

"Did that get him?" He asked himself as the figure that was Might Guy vanished into the edge of his vision, only the trail of ash-seeping destruction left in his wake currently visible. There was a wave a eery silence as Freed stood in wait; either for Saburo to announce his victory, or for his opponent to come back for another round. Unfortunately for him, it was the latter of the two.

"Leaf Strong Whirlwind!"

Before Freed could any perceive what was occurring right before his eyes, he was sent ploughing through a row of ruined and abused buildings by a overwhelmingly powerful spinning back kick. As shot backwards, he could now see that Might Guy was standing in front of where he had just been waiting for an outcome. However, the figure was only bold for an instant, and in the next, it was gone.

"Leaf Rock-Destroying Rise!"

A voice entered into Freed's ears, followed by a sensation of pain as Might Guy's elbow slammed into his upper back. As the mage's face bashed into the ground, he could only think about Might Guy's supernatural speed, as well as strength. Freed scrambled to his knees, now reverted to his original form save for the unkempt hair and mangled button-up shirt.

"I-I can't win," stammered Freed as his opponent walked from the rear to a spot in front of him. His eyes wide as realization hit him, Freed continued as he marveled at Might Guy's crimson-colored scowl as it looked down upon him, "so I guess the Demon falls to the Beast." With that, the mage's body failed to support him, prompting the powerful mage to fall back to face harshly.

"I forgot to tell you," began Might Guy as he reverted to his base form, losing the pinkish tint in his skin as his blood-level stabilized. "...this Lotus can blossom in the wintertide."

Following this memorable statement, a flood of cheers rocked the battlefield, even rattling the cubes. Undoubtedly, The loudest of these cries belonging to Might Guy's very own pupil: Rock Lee.

"And it's a sudden victory for Konoha's Might Guy," announced Saburo, a devilish grin growing on his tanned face as came to stand between the battered Freed Justine and Might Guy. He extended his hand towards Might Guy's shoulder, but the shinobi latched onto the his wrist swiftly, not allowing him to grip the Konoha member's shoulder. Saburo's smirk never faltered however, and Might Guy was still encased in a brilliant light. When the shinobi vanished from the battlefield, it was evident that Freed had been granted the same treatment rapidly. Wiping his gloved onto his extravagant white jacket, he sighed softly before continuing, "and the next match will be between two young women...Hinata Hyuga versus Lucy Heartfilia."

* * *

><p><strong>Team Konoha's Record: 7 wins, 1 Draw<strong>

**Team Fairy Tail's Record: 6 Wins, 1 Draw**

**Next Match: Lucy Heartfilia vs. Hinata Hyuga**

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Just two points I'd like to make.<strong>

**1.) It wasn't stated, but at the end of the chapter (when Guy was hit with the Darkness Flare Bomb and disappeared from Freed's view) Might Guy unlocked two more Gates (making that the fifth one unlocked during the fight) but because he wasn't in earshot or view, none of the onlookers noticed that he unleashed the Gate of Limit. That explains the sudden boost in speed and strength. **

**2.) As for the next fight, it's not just plain ol' Lucy vs. Hinata. Just letting you guys know that she _does_ have access to her Celestial Spirits. **


	16. Lion Fists

**_Saburo's Tournament_  
><strong>

**CHAPTER 16**

**Lion Fists**

**Lucy vs Hinata**

* * *

><p>"And it's a sudden victory for Konoha's Might Guy," announced Saburo, a devilish grin growing on his tanned face as came to stand between the battered Freed Justine and Might Guy. He extended his hand towards Might Guy's shoulder, but the shinobi latched onto the his wrist swiftly, not allowing him to grip the Konoha member's shoulder. Saburo's smirk never faltered however, and Might Guy was still encased in a brilliant light. When the shinobi vanished from the battlefield, it was evident that Freed had been granted the same treatment rapidly. Wiping his gloved onto his extravagant white jacket, he sighed softly before continuing, "and the next match will be between two young women...Hinata Hyuga versus Lucy Heartfilia."<p>

"Huh? Me?" A young lady questioned from the center of Fairy Tail's diminishing squad. Her face appeared to show worry and nervousness, but she moved forward anyway, but not without a friendly shove from Natsu Dragneel. She shot him a glare, but continued to shuffle towards the transparent wall of the containment cube. Before she could reach it, a voice stopped her in her tracks.

"She has the same surname as the ninja that fought against Natsu," relayed Makarov, not looking at Lucy as she listened to him, his eyes only gazing at Saburo. "If the stories I've read about ninja are correct, that would most likely make them a part of the same clan. That may mean that she possesses the same fighting style and techniques as that Neji boy." At this information, Lucy nodded her head slowly.

"Which means to keep my distance and don't let her touch me..." she said softly, deep in thought. Makarov agreed with the vague strategy and let his "child" move forward. Lucy moved into the wall of the containment cube and it gave way to her form, allowing her to exit with zero resistance. She looked to her right and saw that her opponent hadn't come onto the plaza as of yet.

"You can do it, Hinata!"

Lucy heard the shout and quickly pinpointed it to be the boy who took out Laxus. That loudmouthed blonde that somehow managed to take out their second-strongest member in the tournament.

"T-thanks, Naruto-kun," a peaceful young lady stuttered, her cheeks flushing with red as she spoke to the orange-attired shinobi. Moving in front of Naruto, Rock Lee and Might Guy began to wish the girl luck in her fight. She timidly accepted the encouragement and shot Naruto one last glance before heading towards the plaza.

"So you're my opponent...Hinata, right?"

Hearing somebody address her, the kunoichi looked up and peered into the young woman's eyes who stood beyond her. The young woman had luscious blonde hair tied into two pigtails and large, auburn eyes. She was dressed in a white and azure, sleeveless shirt that barely contained her curvaceous figure. She was also clothed in a navy miniskirt and black, leather, high-heeled boots.

"Yeah..." replied Hinata softly as her opponent looked over her with careful eyes. The kunoichi had waist-length, dark blue hair as well as white eyes unique to her renowned clan. Her attire consisted of a loose-fitting, long-sleeved, cream colored zip-up jacket over her mesh under-armor.

"Well, I'd say it's nice to meet you, but considering the circumstances..." Lucy trailed off, letting her opponent catch the gist of it. The shinobi's face expressed shyness as she nodded in understanding. Seeing that no more conversation was to be had between the two, Hinata positioned herself into a stance familiar to Lucy.

_Master Makarov was right afterall...that's the same stance as that Neji guy! _Lucy scowled and placed her hand near the whip strapped down by her belt. _Maybe the whip wouldn't be such a great idea right now. I've got to keep my distance from her strikes. _The mage's hand wavered briefly, moving from her whip to a different area on her strap.

"Let the fifteenth battle commence, ladies," conducted Saburo, firing a bright spark from the tip of his index finger into the sky. The sound of metallic clanking resounded, but it wasn't from Saburo, but instead it was Lucy. The female mage held out an intricate object that appeared to be a golden key.

"Open the Gate of the Ram! Aries!"

Before Hinata could even rush the blonde-haired mage, another being appeared between them. The figure appeared to be a young girl rosy hair that curled into fluff that wrapped around her neck, as well brown eyes and a pair of unique horns on her head. She wore white and puffy wool-like attire that was very fitting of the Celestial Spirit's name. Similar to Hinata, the pink-haired female wore a bashful expression upon her face.

"A, hmm...I'll do my best," stated the Celestial Spirit modestly, her hands clasped together near her thighs as she rocked back and forth.

"Another person appeared out of nowhere!" Naruto cried, his eyes wide in shock. A hand quickly collided with his shoulder as a voice entered into his ears.

"Calm down, Naruto," Yamato coaxed, holding the youth down with his palm. "Look at the horns...I don't think that's a person. It looks like a simple summoning jutsu to me, just a summoning of a human-like being." Letting out a fake noise of understanding, Naruto nodded and continued to watch the battle.

"Aries, can you help me against this shinobi?" Lucy asked, her voice becoming more demanding as she commanded her partner. Seeing the determined look on her caller's face, Aries nodded quickly while flailing her arms around.

"Y-yes! I'll try!" She proclaimed, in a manner of speaking similar to her very opponent, Hinata Hyuga. Lucy strode towards her partner and whispered something into the female's ear, while the opposing kunoichi simply stood in wait, not quite wanting to make the first move.

Aries nodded as Lucy finished speaking her strategy, both females stepping to the side as they prepared for battle. The pink-haired female moved first, swinging her hands down to the right side of her hip, rosy streams of cotton-esque fluff escaping from her palms. Taken by surprise initially, Hinata dove to the side in order to avoid the massive amount of wool.

"Huh?" Aries let out a noise while tilted her head slightly, as if she were unsure how the shinobi had managed to evade her technique. Hinata, however, waisted no time in charging towards her attacker with her arm cocked back. As she thrust her palm forward, the veins around her blank eyes became quite prominent.

"I'm sorry!" Aries apologized, albeit without a reason to, and brought her arms up to defend herself. She also dipped to the left, barely managing to dodge the small yet deadly palm. Before Hinata could follow up with a successive strike, Aries had already erected a wall of pink wool, in which Hinata's was pushed into by momentum's hand.

"Good job, Aries!" Lucy commended, watching as Hinata slowed down quite significantly upon contact with the pink. It was quite noticeable that her previously intent expression became one of relaxation.

"What's going on with Hinata?" Naruto asked frantically, worried upon seeing the lack of movement from his ally. From a medical standpoint, Tsunade quickly took a gander at the pink fluffs floating around the battlefield.

"It looks like that pink wool has something in it that can neutralize adrenaline, or overwhelm it with serotonin." she explained. Seeing the dumfounded look on Naruto's face, she decided to put it into terms that he could understand. "The pink stuff makes Hinata feel relaxed."

"Oh! That's not good!" Naruto realized, watching with worried eyes as Hinata slowed, her arms wading through the pink wool uselessly. Before the kunoichi knew it, her wrists had been bound together by a heart-tipped whip.

"Got her!" Lucy grinned as she held onto her weapon of choice tightly. Lucy motioned for her partner to strike while the chance was open. Aries literally leapt at the opportunity, swinging her shin down towards the restrained opponent.

The motion of the of the arcing leg blew away the pink wool around Hinata's arms just enough for the kunoichi to take advantage of the split second. Expelling spikes of chakra from every one of her chakra points, the whip was blown from her wrists. She then shot her arms upwards, plowing it right into Aries' sternum.

"Good hit," commended Yamato, nodding his head proudly as the ram-like female dropped to the ground as if paralyzed. "The Hyuga's Palm Bottom Strike."

"I'm...sorry," Aries managed to say before dispersing into a frenzy of celestial light. Her owner scowled, biting her lip as her partner vanished from the fight.

"Like I thought...close-ranged combat is no-go," Lucy said, taking a step away from the Main Branch Hyuga. Taking a moment to peer over the keys at her waist, she thought of another plan of action. _I guess I'll have to take the ranged approach! _

With a wave of her precious set of keys, another figure appeared before her as she called out, "Open the Gate of the Archer! Sagittarius!" The called-upon was a dark-haired man with a tall and lanky stature wearing a brown horse costume. Standing in salute while the smoke cleared away from his feet, his other hand gripped a large bow that seemed to be made of silver.

"Hello, hello? You called?" The Celestial Spirit asked, looking down at Lucy as his horse-head towered over her.

"Another summon?" Hinata asked, scowling at the arrival of yet another opponent. _But this one as a bow and a quiver of arrows...she's planning on a long-distance fight! _

"Shoot her down, but stay as far away as you can, alright?!" Lucy ordered, taking a step back herself as if gesturing for Sagittarius to take the reins of the battle.

"Hello, hello! Orders received and understood!" The being declared, adopting the standard stance of a right-handed archer, wielding the bow with his left and aiming an arrow with the right.

"An archer summon?" Shikamaru asked, his face quizzical as he looked over the Celestial Spirit. "I don't think she's using a typical summoning jutsu..." He ceased speaking as the whistle of a soaring arrow pierced through the air.

"You underestimate me, Lucy-san," Hinata spoke politely, despite the fact that the listener was her opponent, while leaping over the arrow aimed at her left leg. "I've trained against archer's before."

"I am no ordinary archer," proclaimed Sagittarius, notching two arrows and positioning them at Hinata's midair form. The Celestial Spirit proceeded to fire the pair of arrows at the kunoichi, who lacked a visible platform at her feet.

"Eight Trigrams: Air Palm!"

With the sudden burst of a vacuum shell from Hinata Hyuga's high-speed palm thrust, she vaulted over the arrows and landed a meter from Sagittarius' position. The Celestial Spirit's eyes were wide with shock, as he was certain that his arrows would hit the target.

_I may not be at Neji-neesan's level, but I..._

Seeing the tiny piece of distance between her partner and the enemy, Lucy dashed forward, worried for her Spirit's safety. However, she was far too slow as Hinata leapt at the Centaur like a lion catching its prey.

"Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms!" The young woman's white eyes intensified as she spun on her heel a few times in rapid succession. Her flailing palms slammed into Sagittarius' chest and close to his pelvis. "Two palms!"

Hinata stepped back briefly as Sagittarius stumbled in the opposite direction, the young ninja's palms ablaze in chakra. She proceeded to slam them into the Celestial Spirit's torso in rapid succession while calling out, "Four palms!"

The Hyuga brought her arms above her head and drew them in circles, as if making waves in water. She then thrust them forward in Sagittarius' retreating figure.

"Eight palms!"

The continuos barrage of strikes pressed the lanky man backwards until his thighs pressed into the base of a flowing fountain. As more of the damaging strikes landed, cracks began to snake along the framework of the manmade geyser.

"Sixteen palms!"

The final sixteen strikes came with more speed and force, violently battering Sagittarius' scrawny body. With each thrust of Hinata's palm, the Celestial Spirit's body was buffeted against the fountain. Finishing the sequence of attacks with her two wrists overlapping one over the other, she cried out "Thirty-two palms!"

"Sagittarius!" Lucy cried, rushing over towards her summon, but it was far too late.

"Hello, hello?" Sagittarius sputtered, his face quite distressed as his back crashed through the base of the fountain, unleashing a cascade of water. "It looks like I may need to take my leave for the moment..." He coughed once before vanishing into a multitude of particles that hovered over the spilling water.

_I did it_, Hinata smirked at the victory over her opponent's two Celestial Spirits summoned against her. She glanced at her original opponent, Lucy Heartfilia, who stood motionless.

_Aries and Sagittarius are out of commission and Taurus would be useless against her type of close-ranged combat, especially since she's a female... her fighting style also makes Capricorn and Cancer a no-go. _Lucy scowled, deep in thought as she shifted through her set of keys one at a time. Her fingers quickly came to a halt, resting on a single key of gold. _I guess I'll have to use the water from the fountain to summon Aquarius..._

Pulling the crux from the rung with a sigh, Lucy held the Gate of the Water Bearer Key in her right palm. She then seemed to catch a second wind, springing with energy as she waved the key around while reciting, "Open the Gate of the Water Bearer!" As she prepared to descend the key into the pool of water that lay at her feet, her wrist was suddenly grabbed.

"I'm starting to wonder whether you ever even consider calling upon the one you love from the start. Or could you have been saving the best for last?"

Her eyes filled with surprise, Lucy glanced at the hand locked around her right wrist. She then looked beyond the hand and studied the body behind it, although she instantly recognized the voice.

The speaker was a young man with delicate facial features with spikes of orange hair jutting from his head, mirroring a lion's mane. He donned a pair of azure-tinted sunglasses with a thin frame. His attire consisted of a dark suit left unbottoned with a lighter shirt with a red tie beneath it the jacket. Her also wore loose pants held up by a light colored belt with dark shoes equipped to his feet.

"Loke, you sill idiot," Lucy smiled at the sight of one of her trump cards. "This isn't your type of fight. With her magic, close-ranged combat is a bad idea. That's why I was going to call out Aquarius."

"Aquarius would have just been a waste of energy at this point. And she's on a date with Scorpio right now anyway," Loke relayed. "And don't worry Lucy, I can handle her martial arts."

"Hey!" A sudden cry from Naruto caught everybody's attention. "That's not fair! She brought in another person to fight for her! And she didn't summon him!"

"No, Naruto," Shikamaru sighed. "You're right. She's didn't summon him, but he seems the same as the others before him. He might be powerful enough to come aid his owner without a Summoning Jutsu."

"Can't really say I care much about what's going on here," Loke said with a serious tone as he turned his attention away from Naruto and the Konoha Cube. He then glanced at Saburo before continuing his focus on to Hinata. "But I'm afraid anybody that intends to harm my owner, Lucy, cannot be forgiven."

Hinata's eyebrows furrowed, seeing the intensity of the Celestial Spirit that glared at her. The kunoichi could tell that this being was much different than the other ones Lucy had called upon.

"I already know that you'd never let me fight one-on-one, so I'll just request one thing," began Loke, his head angling towards the blonde. "Support me, both physically and mentally."

"Of course," Lucy smirked, cracking her whip across the ground, the sharp sound resonating through the town. As if a signal to Loke, he erupted into motion, entering Hinata's face in a moment.

The Celestial Spirit lashed out with a quick jab towards Hinata's face, but the kunoichi pressed the back of her hand against his oncoming wrist. Deflecting the punch, Hinata then launched a palm thrust with her opposite limb. Loke quickly shot his knee upwards, slamming it into Hinata's approaching arm, propelling it upwards.

"It's rare to see somebody blatantly challenge the Hidden Leaf's strongest Taijutsu so openly," commented Rock Lee.

"It's rare to see somebody keep up with Loke's martial arts like that," piped in Cana. "Even Natsu tries to avoid fist-fights with that flirt." At this Natsu laughed and muttered something about "I just don't want to mess up his face. He's useless without it."

Both sides watched with a certain degree of intensity at the high-paced display of hand-to-hand combat. The two were going back an forth, blow for blow but neither faltered throughout the exchange. After one final palm strike to Loke's side, the Celestial Spirit broke away from the physical encounter as he leapt backwards. His movements were clearly more inert than before.

"Be careful, Loke," warned Lucy, a look of concern evident on her face as her partner slid to her side. "Her style of fighting is called "Gentle Fist Style", I think that Neji guy called it. Her intention is to cripple you internally by attacking your vital organs. Those eyes of hers also let her see your network of magic and block it off."

Loke let this information process in his mind for a while. He finally responded with, "So it's those eyes, huh?" He gave off a smirk as the sun's rays reflected brilliantly from his shaded glasses.

"Uh, what are you planning?" Lucy asked, kind of apprehensive of Loke's smirk and vague comment. The Leo Spirit glanced at her, continually smirking as he spoke.

"I'm just going to make it so she can't see what she's hitting," he declared, in a tone low enough so that it wasn't audible to Hinata. He then turned back to face the kunoichi while aiming his right forearm towards the sky and placing his left hand behind it while chanting, "O Regulus...grant me your strength!

Upon command, a dazzling light show erupted from Loke as if he were a spawn of the Sun. As Hinata found herself shielding her eyes, the Celestial Spirit burst forward with his right arm slung back. Loke quickly propelled his fist forward, slamming it into Hinata's defending forearms with overpowering force. As the kunoichi soared backwards, a trail of light seeped from her sleeves.

"Not blinding enough, eh?" Loke asked rhetorically, flexing his knuckles as Hinata came to a halt on the plaza. "Then I'll have to up the radiance!" Loke shouted as he began his dash towards the opponent, his fists illuminated slightly.

_I'm ready for him! _Hinata assured, getting into her typical stance rather quickly as the opponent approached. Seeing as the gap between herself and the Celestial Spirit began to close, she cocked her arms backwards. Mentally projecting the image of Loke entering her range, she swung her arms forward, knowing that at the speed he was currently traveling at that her palm would be a direct hit if she thrust at that moment.

However, by the time she realized that Loke had come to a dead halt just outside of her range, her palms had slashed through the air uselessly. She didn't even have time to react as Loke thrust his own fist forward, a beam of light releasing from it in Hinata's direction.

Finding it blatantly impossible to move faster than the speed of light, the attack grazed Hinata's left side. Despite being just a slight brush of light, it was so concentrated that the kunoichi's torso instantly became heated. And once again, a trail of light struck against her, but the victim was her right thigh.

"Hinata!" Naruto shouted, realizing that this summon was more powerful than the Hyuga had first assumed. Seeing Hinata look his way, he gave a few words of advice. "Pull out all the stops!"

Knowing exactly what the powerful blonde meant, Hinata straightened herself out. Loke had stopped moving, noticing the sudden change in the kunoichi's eyes. It was a sudden intensity. A sort of determined stare.

_Naruto-kun is right! I have to finish this quickly! _Hinata once again adopted the Gentle Fist Style stance, however, it was much more assertive this time around. She then brought her arms to her side and began to howl as blue light wrapped around her clenched fists. As time went on and the howls became more resonant, the mass of chakra became much more concentrated around her fists solely. With another moment of time and a burst of overflowing chakra, the kunoichi soon had chakra molded in the shape of chinese guardian lions reinforcing her fist.

"Watch out Loke!" Lucy warned, watching as the opponent crouched down slightly and spread her chakra-laced arms apart.

"No, Lucy..." Loke's eyes grew wide as he noticed something that his owner hadn't. However, the Heartfilia quickly understood and let out a stout gasp as the Konoha Ninja charged full speed towards _her_, not Loke!

_I must defeat Lucy first!_

This was Hinata's resolve as she rushed forward at a speed unnatural of a typical chunin-level kunoichi. Although she charged at her from the front, she was almost instantly at the squealing mage's left side. Seeing as the accumulation of blue chakra was being jabbed right towards her face, Lucy instinctually closed her eyes and braced for impact.

"Open your eyes, Lucy! I can't do this alone!"

A powerful yank on her shirt startled the young girl as she was flung a foot backwards. Her eyes still fastened, she felt a powerful breeze glide across her face, and it almost stung. It was as if a vehicle had just drove by a centimeter away from her head.

The young Celestial Spirit Mage did as she had been told and opened her eyes just in time to see Hinata turn back towards her, now on the opposite side of where she had attempted to attack from. Her powerful punch must have carried the kunoichi a good foot or two. Loke however, now stood between Hinata and Lucy, his face conveying an obvious intensity.

Hinata was relentless however, continuing her assault despite her target changing from Lucy to Loke. Lashing out with her right fist again, Loke barely managed to deflect it with his forearm. Lucy had been right, with so much force behind the punches, they pulled the young kunoichi along. Now on the opposite side of Loke, she caught her balance quickly, spun with the momentum, and swung with the back of her right fist. It missed, but the follow up jab from her left hand caught the Celestial Spirit in the right shoulder. The kunoichi spun once more, lifting her right leg into the air and slamming her heel into Loke's guarding forearms. This chain of narrow misses, slight grazes, and strikes being blocked continued until Loke's ankle failed him as he lost his footing.

"Zenith of Regulus..." chanted Loke as he fell to his knees. Hinata spun around the face him, already prepared to finish him off with this opportunity.

"Why wasn't I informed that Hinata knew such a powerful technique..." Rock Lee asked, marveling at his rival's cousin. "She overpowered that lion-man in moments!"

"Stop speaking so soon!" Natsu shouted back at the Konoha ninja, grinning as if he knew something that nobody else knew. They all looked on as Loke brought his right arm up and set his left arm horizontal behind it.

"Lion Brilliance!" The Celestial Spirit cried out. Immediately, a large amount of light erupted from Loke, covering a drastically large radius. The blinding wave of radiance deemed the Hyuga's Byakugan useless, causing her to barely miss her target.

"Now, Lucy!"

In the blink of an eye, Lucy, who was unaffected by the overwhelming bright area of light, had her whip latched around the opponents ankles and snaking up to her thighs. With the purple-haired kunoichi blinded and bound, Loke sprung back to his feet in front of her.

"I'll show you _true _Twin Lion fists!" Loke proclaimed, two yellowish masses of light coating his fist as he roared to life. He hurled both fists forward simultaneously, plowing them into Hinata's torso with tremendous force. With an explosion of radiance, Hinata was propelled backwards from the transferred force of the dual punches.

"Hinata!" Naruto cried out as the Konoha representative crashed through the black wrought iron gate that allowed entry onto a mansion that seemed to have just appeared form nothingness.

"Damn it, I can't move anymore Lucy," Loke reported, noticing that the strikes he had suffered had begun to immobilize his muscles. He dropped to the ground like a brick, still conscious, yet paralyzed.

"Thanks for the help, Loke," she smiled weakly, feeling remorse for the pain that her partner had been dealt.

"It was all in the name of love," he winked at her, before vanishing into a frenzy of fluttering lights. Lucy sighed and let out a brief chuckle, before turning to face Saburo, whose figure had come to fruition beside Hinata's body.

"So the Celestial Spirit and Hinata took each other out, eh?" He asked, smirking that same sadistic smile of his. It made Lucy sick to her stomach just looking at the way his mouth twisted obscenely. She even jumped when he looked her way. "...but since you're still standing, I declare that _you_ are the victor, Lucy Heartfilia."

Before she could even perceive movement, Saburo stood before her with his index finger pressed against her forehead. Before she could protest, she found herself standing inside of her own containment cube.

"Alright, that's it." Naruto declared, a furious expression donned on his face as he cracked his knuckles. "No more games. Bring on the next fight, Saburo!" He ordered, pointing a think finger at the black-haired tournament host.

"There you go ordering me around again, Uzumaki," scowled Saburo, finally scrapping his inhuman smirk. It only lasted a moment, however. "Nevertheless, the next fight will begin shortly."

The Fairy Tail crowd finally piped down from congratulating Lucy, simultaneous gulps resounding.

"And it will be between...Yamato of Konoha," he exclaimed, pointing at a figure within the containment cube on the right. "against-"

Abruptly, an array of black spheres appeared before Saburo Kobayashi, stacking upon each other until they reached their peak six feet above the ground. It slowly took a humanlike form, also gaining color. Within a span of thirty seconds, a full-fledged man stood before the onlookers, his chest moving up and down as he breathed in the air of Saburo's playground.

"Welcome, Gildarts." Saburo smiled his most monstrous grin, it being etched into every combatants mind.

* * *

><p><strong>Team Konoha's Record: 7 wins, 1 Draw<strong>

**Team Fairy Tail's Record: 7 Wins, 1 Draw**

**Next Match: Gildarts Clive vs. Yamato**

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>

**Sorry for the unscheduled break, but here you go: Chapter 16 in all of its glory. And by the way, there will not be a poll on who the victor of this bout should be, but there is a poll that is just as important that I need for my readers to vote on. Put simply, Juvia needs an opponent for round two, since Kiba and Bickslow took each other out. Seeing as Saburo's not the type to let anybody have a free ride to the third round, she needs an enemy. **


	17. Motive For Victory

**_Saburo's Tournament_  
><strong>

**CHAPTER 17**

**Motive For Victory**

**Gildarts vs. Yamato**

* * *

><p>Abruptly, an array of black spheres appeared before Saburo Kobayashi, stacking upon each other until they reached their peak six feet above the ground. It slowly took a humanlike form, also gaining color. Within a span of thirty seconds, a full-fledged man stood before the onlookers, his chest moving up and down as he breathed in the air of Saburo's playground.<p>

"Welcome, Gildarts." Saburo smiled his most monstrous grin, it being etched into every combatants mind. The addressed man quickly overlooked the tournament's host, his focus instantly shifting to the Fairy Tail team. The mass stared back at him with bulging eyes, as if they had seen a ghost.

"...and Happy?" Natsu finally spoke up, his eyes drifting from Gildarts' shaggy face to the mass of blue fur squirming around in his right hand.

"Natsu!" The pile of hair came to life as he leapt from the large man's grasp and waddled towards the containment cube. Not far behind the feline was a similar creature with white fur and feminine touches.

"And Carla too!" Wendy gasped, rushing to the edge of her glowing prison along with her fellow Dragonslayer, Natsu. Following them was the tallest of the Dragonslayers within, his eyes squinting as if he were trying to seek something. Finally, his eyes regained their normal appearance as he spoke up.

"Where the hell is Pantherlily then?" Gajeel frowned, his arms crossed over his chest as if he were...pouting.

"I don't thinks that's the most important matter right now..." muttered Lucy, scracthing her silky blonde head. However, her comment went unheard as usual, or at least nobody paid attention to it.

"That black cat?" Gildarts finally spoke, glancing at the two Exceed that pressed against the containment, in a futile attempt to reach their owners. "Gone, I guess."

"What do you mean '_gone'_?" Gajeel asked harshly, punching the containment cube out of frustration, shaking the whole structure. Who knew such a man could get so emotional over a cat?

"More importantly, why are you here Gildarts?" Makarov's brows furrowed at the sight of the red-headed S-Class mage. "I thought you had left on another journey. So I ask once again, why are you here?" He repeated.

"I did leave on a journey," sighed Gildarts, rubbing the back of his head tenderly before continuing. "And then I ran into this guy." The mage pointed a stubby thumb over his shoulder, aimed directly at the tournament host.

"Who, me?" Saburo asked, grinning maliciously. Gildarts ignored the sarcastic remark and went on with his brief story.

"In short, he warned me that 'Fairy Tail's demise would be imminent and devastating', and vanished into thin air. So I rushed back to Magnolia as quickly as I could, but by then it was too late." The large man took a brief pause in his story to sigh. "When I entered the Guild House, the only ones there were Happy and the little white cat."

"Carla," the 'little white cat' quickly interjected.

"And Happy and _Carla_ jumped onto me and began screaming in my ear about the disappearance of the rest of the guild members. The next thing I knew, I was here, in this..._place_." Gildarts finished his retelling and proceeded to take in his surroundings.

The foreign lands, the unfamiliar faces, the tournament host and his malice.

"What about Nab? Max? Alzack? No Pantherlily or Lisanna either?" Makarov asked. He only received a slow shake of the head. To this, the elderly man's head dropped deep into thought, or perhaps anger.

"No, they were all beaten to a pulp and taken away!" Happy quickly revealed, receiving a shocked reaction from the Fairy Tail Cube.

"Beaten...to a pulp?" Makarov grumbled, his teeth clenched as he spoke. "By who?"

"That guy!" Happy spun on his feline heels, and aimed an accusing finger at the tournament host, Saburo. The man simply grinned as dozens of eyes drilled holes into him.

"You bastard!" Natsu cried, slamming a flaming fist into the wall before him. The impact rocked the cube, causing Saburo's grin to spread even wider at the sight of the boy's power. He then noticed the beyond angry expressions drawn onto each and every last Fairy's face.

"I'll crush you myself." Gildarts began to stride towards the gallant figure that stood within a crater on the battlefield. His knuckles cracking and veins protruding from his forehead, his glare became wicked. Even the air itself tensed as Gildart's presence lashed out.

"Calm yourself, Gildarts Clive," advised Saburo, lifting a palm towards the advancing mage, signaling him to halt. The approaching man slowly ceased his stroll towards him as the tournament host began to speak again. "You'll get your opportunity in time, but for now, a different enemy awaits you."

The red-head mage slowly turned his body to face the direction of Saburo's gaze, finally realizing that there was another figure on the plaza. Yamato's presence was easily overlooked by Gildarts, setting the latter off that this new man may have been trained in stealth. With his hands resting on his waist, the shinobi nodded towards his opponent and began to move forward.

"What that man says is not true," began Yamato, his navy shoes stopping to meet the ground as he neared the pair in the center of the blighted plaza. Seeing the slight tick on both Saburo's and Gildarts' foreheads, he decided to continue. Though, the tension surrounding them made it quite hard even for a man of Yamato's skill to speak. He finally managed to spit it out though, a drop of sweat sliding down his cheek. "I may be your opponent, but I am _not_ your enemy. Konoha and your guild, Fairy Tail, are both in the same boat."

At this, Saburo's undignified smirk made its way back to his face. He waved his hand in a dismissing motion and chuckled, "It makes no difference. Just don't call me a liar again, you irritant-"

"The same boat?" Gildarts questioned imposingly, his tone harsh as he ripped right through the tournament host's sentence. He then turned his body towards Yamato, signifying that his entire focus was on the brown-haired shinobi. A drowning aura swam through the vicinity, and it was apparent that Yamato was under it's overwhelming pressure as his almond-shaped eyes opened wide. "Were your guildmates and friends mercilessly beaten and kidnapped?" Yet another question directed at Yamato like a dagger. Yamato stood silently, whether by choice or his inability to utter a word would remain a mystery.

"I've never seen Gildarts so upset," Lucy's mouth curled into a slight frown as she muttered. She then cast a glance towards Cana, whose head hung low, her eyes presumably gazing holes into the ground. Now that Lucy thought about it, Cana hadn't uttered a single word since her father had made his sudden arrival in the tournament arena. She really couldn't understand the two's relationship, and she had no intention of divulging in the subject at the current time.

"You've never seen Gildart's in a situation as dire as this. I don't think anybody has for that matter."

Lucy took a look down at the elderly man at her side that had just spoken. His face was intense, and the arms folded across his chest indicated how focused he was with the current situation.

" Master Makarov..." she muttered his name, her glance still lingering on him for a short while before turning to face the battlefield.

On the plaza, Gildarts' looming figure still looked down upon the average-sized shinobi. The massive pressure that Gildarts seemed to be exerting continued to push down on Yamato, making the red-headed mage appear even larger in the eye's of the shinobi. Gildarts raised his bulging arm, and received a defensive stance from his opponent in a fraction of a second. With a sigh from the shaggy man, the aura dispersed and the tension soon vanished completely. His raised arm clamped against the back of his own head, and he ran his hand up and down his shoulder-length hair.

"Sorry about that, I kind of let my anger get the best of me," Gildarts attempted to laugh off what had just occurred. Yamato's demeanor shifted, becoming much more at ease than before. However, his defensive stance remained present.

"Just who is that old guy?" Naruto asked, slightly perturbed by the mind-boggling aura that the mage had given off a moment ago. He hadn't even felt a pressure like that from that Laxus man, who was an undoubtedly powerful foe. And his now slightly detached disposition, though hard to believe, made him even more intimidating.

"Yamato, was it?" Gildarts asked passively as he finally dropped his hand from the back of his head. Receiving a nod in reply, he let out another sigh before asking a question. "So I'm guessing I have to beat you before I get to have my way with that clown?" He gestured his head towards Saburo, who stood firm without a smirk this time.

"I don't know what fate lies for the one who wins this tournament, actually," answered the shinobi honestly. He rubbed the back of his head in a similar fashion of how Gildarts had previously.

"So it _is_ a tournament..." Gildarts pondered to himself. His eyes then glanced in the direction of the two orange cubes, containing Konoha and Fairy Tail separately like diabolic prison cells. "So this is all that's left of our teams, eh?" A hint of disappointment evident in his voice.

"It is _my _tournament, to be specific, Gildarts" hissed Saburo condescendingly. Deciding that he had heard enough from the bastard, Gildarts clenched his fist, veins protruding from the beneath the skin. His hand flashed and Saburo was forced to leap backwards to avoid catching a knuckle to his cranium. In his stead, the center of the plaza became the home to yet another crater, fissures snaking along the ground from beneath Gildart's fist. "Don't get ahead of yourself, fool. Fight the one in front of you," growled the tournament host, sliding away from the mage.

"Sorry, but we should probably get on with it," insisted Yamato, gaining his opponent's attention once more. The hulking man of a mage turned to face him again before letting out a grumble.

"I'm the one that should be apologizing," Gildarts admitting, his focus currently on his armor-covered prosthetic arm as he wiggled his fingers slowly. He then began to curl and uncurl his left hand, finally stopping as he looked Yamato square in the eyes and cautioned, "I'm no good at holding back."

As if a cue for the fight to start with the ending of the statement, Yamato launched himself backwards while securing himself with a kunai knife in his right hand. His opponent remained unmoving as Yamato slid to a halt when he felt the distance between them was complimentary. The shinobi ejected the blade from his hand at an incredible speed, though his opponent must have seen it coming. The upwards motion of an armored arm was all it took to deflect the black knife.

"What was that?" mocked Gildarts lightheartedly as he lowered his prosthetic limb in order to get a better view of his opponent. However, the smirk of the shinobi that stood meters away and the flicker of a shadow in his peripheral created a reaction from Gildarts. Swinging his massive left arm to the side, a loud pounding sound resonated as he struck against something.

His head moving slower than his arm had, Gildarts finally saw what he had struck. Though, it didn't make sense to him in the least. His muscled fist was pressing against the forearms of Yamato, who stood behind the limbs, struggling to equal the force that Gildarts was exerting. However, what was strange to the mage was that Yamato also stood a good five meters away, still smirking.

"The one to your left is a clone, Gildarts! Attack the real one!" A shout from Natsu quickly reached the target's ears. To signify that Gildarts Clive had heard his ally's insightful tip, he smirked.

"A clone, eh?" The red-head on the battlefield implored. With a burst of agility, Gildarts' elbow caught the clone's chin, directly between the sides of the happuri-style forehead protector that framed his face. The blow launched the replica backwards by a good meter, effectively putting the clone on its back. The mage took this opportunity to charge towards the real Yamato with speed uncanny for such a muscular man.

"Doton: Doryūsō!"

As Gildarts raged towards the shinobi of Konoha, the cemented ground on the mage's path exploded to life. The earth itself began to spew spears of condensed cement and mud, all aimed right at Gildarts. Letting a scowl grow on his stubbled face, the mage raised a muscular arm to his forehead as he let the spikes of earth mow into him. However, none of the earth skewers even pierced the red-head's skin as they all shattered on contact with his brawny body. Within seconds, an ocean of rubble surrounded Gildarts boots.

"_How'd he shatter my earth spears? That couldn't have been the result of muscle and dense bone, could it? No..." _Yamato bit down on his lip as he concentrated on a solution to the question. _"They way that they shattered was almost as if they were blown from the inside, and exploded outwards in cube shapes. It has to be some sort of jutsu..."_

"You look like you're thinking too much."

Yamato was met with the stern gaze of Gildarts, who was now within inches of the shinobi. Bewildered, the brunette attempted a step backwards, but there was a flash of movement as a punch smashed into his body. The strike propelled Yamato backwards, only landing heavily when his heel slammed against a jagged block of cement.

"_Such strength..." _Glaring at the mage, Yamato pushed himself to his feet. A trail of blood ran down the man's heel, visible behind the newly-ripped sandals. However, adrenaline kept the pain at bay.

"You're pretty agile, being able to escape the full force of my punch-" Gildarts acknowledgment was cut short as a powerful uppercut collided with his stubbled chin. Another Yamato replica was beneath the punch, half of it still within the ground as if it had become the earth itself. However, the strike didn't posses the force necessary to derail an opponent of Gildarts' caliber.

"My, my. I wasn't really expecting that one," sighed Gildarts, his chin pressing down on the clone's fist with force equivalent to the one exerted from the uppercut. That quickly changed as a loud _crashing _sound occurred and the clone was sent jolting into the earth. A rather large crater formed as the replica's upper half smashed into the ground that it came from, and it quickly burst into a cloud of whispy smoke.

"_There it goes again, that defense. But this time it repulsed the fist instead of causing it to explode...is it still the same ability?" _A drop of sweat slid from Yamato's brow as he took a slight step backwards.

"I really can't let my guard down when fighting a ninja, I guess." Gildarts groaned as he idly rubbed his stinging chin. Without warning, the mage launched himself at Yamato, his fist leading the assault. The burly man's punch plowed into cemented ground, sending fragments of the concrete in every direction. However, Yamato was nowhere to be seen.

Gildarts removed his clenched hand from the very earth that shuttered under its force. He straightened his body and stood at full attention, his eyes darting around. With no opponent in sight, the mage kept his eyes peeled for an imminent surprise attack.

"Good grief. You aren't making this easy," kvetched Gildarts, his deep voice thunderous.

"_You're__the one not making it easy, pal,_" a drop of sweat slid down Naruto's dumbfounded face. _"Not a single one of Captain Yamato's attacks have had any effect on you."_

As if an attempt to prove that statement wrong, a volley of kunai knives erupted from the earth around Gildarts' feet. The red-head's eyes quickly tracked the mass of black projectiles as they hung over his head like a thundercloud. The gathering of blades meters in the air slowly began to descend like iron rain.

"Jeez, more of those knives," scowled Gildarts Clive as he elevated his forearms to shield his head. The first of the onfall of blades struck against the mage's armor-like left arm and bounced off while only causing a minor scratch. Gildarts' eyes followed the deflected kunai knife as it tumbled to the ground. That's when he noticed a waving tag attached to the hilt of the blade.

There was a brief moment of silence as time came to a halt, more kunai knives mere inches from Gildarts' face. Shadows disappeared as the sun began to surrender its existence to the moon. Buildings lay crumpled from previous battles that began hours in the past. And then time literally burst back into life as the ricocheted kunai knife detonated, the blast hitting the mage with full force. It was succeeded by the continuous chain of explosions from the other kunai knives, shrouding Gildarts in thick ash.

"There you go, Captain Yamato!" Naruto pumped a fist into the air as he cheered for his ally. The aforementioned man's face appeared within the ground meters from the dust-wrapped Gildarts' position. The rest of Yamato promptly began to sprout from the earth inch by inch until he completely existed aboveground.

"It isn't over yet, Naruto." Yamato retorted, readying himself for an attack as soon as the smoke cleared. However, the attack was much more sudden than the ninja had anticipated. The dust was was swept away by a muscular arm, and was soon followed by Gildarts' body as he charged forward. Yamato took a firm step back and began to move his hands with urgency, forming signs pretty smoothly.

"Mokuton: Mokujōheki!"

As quickly as the jutsu's name escaped from the caster's mouth, wooden pillars burgeoned before Yamato from the left and right sides. The sets of wooden shafts curved towards one another, joining together in a dome shape with Yamato at its center. In a matter of moments, a full-fledged defense stood between the shinobi and his aggressor.

"Nice."

Gildarts smirked as he approached the earthen shield, drawing his right fist back as he prepared himself to strike. And that's exactly what happened; he struck. The mage projected his fist forward, smashing it directly into the core of the dome. Yamato's eyes widened in bewilderment as the wooden dome shattered into numerous blocks.

The offensive didn't stop there, however, and Gildarts' pace never slowed, even when there was a wave of wood blocks around his feet. He continued to rush towards the shinobi, his left fist cocked back instead of his right this time, each of his footsteps thunderous.

Yamato, being a honed shinobi, reacted without a moment's hesitation. Without much warning, the wood-user's left hand rapidly began to morph. Initially, it took the shape of a single, spiraled, circle-shaped shield, but before long it were three intersecting shields of lumber.

"Yamato-taichou..." Sai seemed distraught as he watched Gildarts launch his fist directly into the center of the Threefolded Wood Shield. When the punch connected, it sounded as if a cannon had just let off a round, and the destruction of Yamato's shield resonated like the crack of a lightning bolt. All eyes watched as Yamato tumbled backwards through the evening air, the breeze colliding with his flak jacket. The shinobi, with great timing and balance, landed in a crouch, his feet still sliding backwards momentarily.

"_Damn it, that was an impressive hit." _As much as Yamato tried to mask it, his whole left arm ached after his opponent's strike. He instinctively began to massage his left wrist to alleviate the pain. His shield, though almost completely destroyed, reconstructed back into a fleshy hand in moments. _"Strength, agility, and an ability that I can hardly comprehend...this guy's a monster. Neji would have the best chance against him, not somebody like me."_

"I kind of hoped to end the fight with that last punch. You've got a nice defense." Gildarts admitted, shaking his fist as if there had been a recoil to his punch. His black eyes transitioned from his knuckles on to his opponent, who was still crouched and looked like he was mulling over his own thoughts.

"_I can't win the match with what I've been doing. To be honest, I don't know if I can even win the match at all." _Yamato took a moment to look back at his comrades, who all watched silently, waiting for him to do something. Something that could secure a victory. His vision then narrowed on a single figure within the Konoha Containment Cell. _"I've got to follow Kakashi's example that he set in his match against that swordswoman. I have to pull out all the stops and hit Gildarts with everything I've got, it's my only viable option left!" _

"Be careful, Gildarts; he's planning something!" A cry came from the Fairy Tail section.

"Yeah, I know."

Gildarts scowled , glaring down upon Yamato as the shinobi began to form handseals. The wood-user shifted, standing upright once again with his right palm outstretched. He spoke an incantation, but Gildarts was too far away to hear anything but a mutter. However, the sound of rushing water reached the mage's ear as a jet of the element was propelled from Yamato's fleshy hand.

The wind around Gildarts picked up, buffeting his ragged cape as his arm rose to chest level. As the powerful stream of water approached, a bright flash expelled from the palm of Gildarts this time. This was succeeded by a net-like pattern running straight through the jet of water in an instant. The clear liquid promptly formed into cubes and fell around Gildarts harmlessly, soaking the ground underneath the upturned cement at his feet.

"_So he can do _that_ to intangible things too? Oh well. I've got a thing or two for him now." _The skilled shinobi codenamed Yamato returned to forming more intricate handseals. "_Sorry, but that last attack was just preparation..for this: _Mokuton: Jubaku Eisō!"

Gildarts head shot down and he cringed as he noticed his feet had begun to sink into the ground beneath him. Just as quickly as he had began to sink, roots sprouted from the earth and entangled him. First, they latched onto his waist, and then his shoulders, and then his thighs until they covered everything but his face. The roots thickened all the while, pressing down on Gildarts' skin and he quickly felt the flow of his blood slow. The "roots" continued to extend higher and higher, forming the trunk of a tree around the mage's body, and even further until it had a thick, leafy treetop.

"Not bad," grumbled Gildarts, his muscles pulsating as he attempting to burst free from his biotic restraints. However, he had too little space, and the tree roots were far to thick to rip by flexing alone.

"I'm not done yet." More handseals followed. "Mokuton: Jukai Kōtan!"

The scene that unfolded was like a miracle of creation that transpired within moments. Like the first droplet of rain that mustered the courage to escape from the clouds, a single tree sprouted in its entirety a few meters from Yamato's position. And then one more protruded from the earth, this one much closer to Gildarts. And then there was another. More forest had joined the legion of trees that occupied the battlefield. There were trees that clung to ruined buildings, trees that erupted through what little cement was left of the plaza, and trees that seemed to hide the sky itself. There was now even grass sprouting from the ground, creating a new terrain. The disheveled town plaza was now, literally, a sea of trees, woodwork, and forestry, compliments of Yamato.

"You've gone and remodeled my playground," frowned Saburo, rubbing his thumb and index finger together idly as he looked down upon Yamato. There was a quick glance cast at the tournament host, but Yamato's main focus remained intent on the mage embedded within the trunk of his Mokuton: Jukai Kōtan.

"Let's decide this match," recommended Yamato, weaving more signs with his hands. "Tajū Moku Bunshin no Jutsu!" In the wake of the shinobi's incantation, a silence cut through the battlefield as all onlookers waited to see what technique would be launched this time. Many of the Fairies presumed it to be a dud as nothing happened in their eyes. However, a select few noticed what the technique did; Gildarts was one of that scanty few. He noticed the faces that slowly projected from the bark of each of the surrounding trees in the vicinity. All of their beady eyes locked onto the only part of Gildarts left visible. His head.

"This is nothing personal, Gildarts." Yamato stepped forward a few paces before outstretching his arm towards his opponent. His sentient clones all followed his motion, arms extending from the bark and aiming at Gildarts Clive. "It is your own fault that you are too powerful to be beaten by anything other than death."

"Hmph." Gildarts let out a sigh, almost as if he had given up the will to fight. However, his head never lowered and the flicker in his eyes never faltered. It seemed like it was a trait that all Fairy Tail members possessed; a fire in their eyes. However, a part of Yamato wondered why the guild of mages was so quiet during the fight. Why nobody really cheered, like they too were awestruck by Gildarts' abilities. They didn't even react when Yamato believed he had the man on the ropes. As if they didn't believe their monster of an ally could even lose... Yamato quickly scrapped the thoughts from his mind and proceeded with his actions.

"Mokuton: Daijurin no Jutsu!"

Yamato's left arm bulged, and his flesh and bone gave way to thick, wooden tendrils that twined together. Within seconds, Yamato had a rapidly growing tree exuding from his shoulder. The end of the "tree" quickly came to a point, forming an extending stake with a multitude of spear-like piercing weapons. There were now over forty of these wooden bayonets prolonging towards Gildarts' position.

"Father!" A frantic cry escaped the lips of figure within Fairy Tail's cube, and all eyes landed upon Cana Alberona. Her hands cupped around her mouth, she yelled out, "stop lolly-gagging, and take this fight seriously! The fate of Fairy Tail is reliant upon you now!"

A spark exploded within Gildarts eyes and his face expressed the shock of Cana referring to him as "father" in such an environment. There was even a chatter of "did she say father?" and "is that monster really a dad?" and other things along those lines.

"If my lovely daughter tells me to finish the fight, then I sure as hell will."

A grin spread across Gildarts' face as the first of the Mokuton: Daijurin no Jutsu pierced through his forehead, blood quickly spilling down his brow. Or at least that's what Yamato had hoped for. In actuality, the stake that collided with the mage's shattered on impact, the spears of the clones suffering the same fight. The grin never disappeared from Gildarts' face as wood cascaded against his face and littered to the ground.

"What?!" Yamato took a step backwards as he watched the failed attempts of his clones to impale the mage. His face sunk even more as he witnessed Gildarts explode from the Mokuton: Jubaku Eisō that he had been confined in. The trunk crumpled as cubes of itself burst outwards, leaving the bulking tree to fall backwards in a earth-shaking crash.

"Like you said, this is nothing personal." Gildarts began to stride forward. Yamato attempted a step backwards, but his legs failed him, leaving him in a crouched position. His vision had even begun to blur, his chakra reserves depleted from those energy consuming techniques he had used.

"_I've lost this one...I'm sorry Konoha. Hopefully somebody will have gathered enough data from my fight to defeat this man." _Yamato stretched out his legs and let his back collide with the ground, his eyes staring into the darknened sky. Knowing that he was defeated and no longer had the energy to even fight back, he refused to let himself be beaten while being completely outmatched. He wanted to end the fight on his own terms, and this meant letting himself faint from exhaustion, not risking further injury or chakra usage. Who knew if he would need to fight anymore in this sadistic tournament?

Seeing that his opponent was finished, completely out of energy and completely outmatched, Gildarts halted his stride.

"The fight's over, he's fainted." Gildarts' tone was harsh as he directed his attention towards Saburo, who was already striding towards them. There was a hushed whisper of shinobi as they mulled over the loss of Captain Yamato, just as there was a hush cheer for the victory of Gildarts by the mages.

"You are right. I'll declare the match a victory for Gildarts Clive." Saburo announced, standing before the red-headed mage and looking him in the eye. Both of the men stood tall, but Saburo had a rough inch or so on Gildarts. There was another wave of immense pressure exuded from both of the men as if it were a silent battle between auras. It only lasted a moment, but everybody could feel the heaviness of their power even when a good distance away.

Saburo let out a laugh followed by a smirk as he let his aura die down. He then reached for Gildarts' shoulder and as he grabbed it, his hand was repelled by Crash quite violently.

"I'll walk myself to the cube, there's no need for you to place your hands on me." Another harsh remark from Gildarts. In response, Saburo let the most sinister grin thus far ease onto his face as the powerful mage walked past him.

* * *

><p><strong>Team Konoha's Record: 7 wins, 1 Draw<strong>

**Team Fairy Tail's Record: 8 Wins, 1 Draw**

**Next Match: Intermission**

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Gah! I deeply apologize for the unscheduled six-month hiatus. It was a combination of writer's block and a busy school schedule. But guess what! Now it's summer time and Saburo's Tournament is back at it! I hope you enjoyed this fight, I tried to change my writing style ever so slighty to give this match a bit more of a serious tone. This fight was a challenge to write seeing as neither Gildarts nor Yamato have many feats, so I didn't have as many things to pull from. Also, I struggled a bit with their dialogue because both of them have significantly less lines in the manga than the other characters. Oh well, I tried my hardest.<strong>

**A quick note. I've got some complaints about previous chapters and different characters being out of character, which I find helpful in improving my writing. So you all should be happy to know that I will be going back and editing old chapters to make them bigger, better, and more realistic! But that probably won't happen quite yet, so just give it some time. **

**Lastly, there will be an intermission chapter next up, but don't worry. It'll still carry the excitement of the tournament matches hopefully. After that, there will be another tournament match, and following that, there will be a special guest written chapter from one of my favorite fanfiction writers. You'll see. **


	18. A Villain's Invitation

**_Saburo's Tournament_  
><strong>

**CHAPTER 18**

**A Villain's Invitation**

**Intermission**

* * *

><p>"You are right. I'll declare the match a victory for Gildarts Clive." Saburo announced, standing before the red-headed mage and looking him in the eyes. Both of the men stood firm, but Saburo had a rough inch or so on Gildarts. There was another wave of immense pressure exuded from both of the men as if it were a silent battle between auras. It only lasted a moment, but everybody could feel the heaviness of their power even when a good distance away.<p>

Saburo released a stout laugh followed by a smirk as he let his aura die down. He then reached for Gildarts' shoulder and as he grabbed it, his hand was repelled by Crash quite violently.

"I'll walk myself to the cube, there's no need for you to place your hands on me." Another harsh remark from Gildarts. In response, Saburo let the most sinister grin thus far ease onto his face as the powerful mage walked past him.

"You would think a warrior of your caliber would display a morsal of respect for the conspirator and host of this tournament," jested Saburo, however, it received no response from Gildarts. The red-headed mage found himself easing up to the orange cube that contained his allies, not quite knowing how to enter the strange contraption. He pressed his palm flat against the surface of the transparent cube, its coldness reaching through his skin.

"What are you doing?" Natsu asked, observing as his senior guildmate ran his fingers along the outside of the containment cube with a serious expression across his face. The large man went on to repeatedly tap the glass-like wall with his thick finger.

"Stand back," warned Gildarts starkly. With little hesitation, every figure within the cell obeyed, taking a large step backwards in unison. The seven Fairies huddled together within the very center of the cell, each of them skeptical about what Gildarts was planning. It came to them as a surprise when thousands of orange shards came flying to their feet, accompanied by the sound of glass being smashed. The orange tint quickly vanished from their vision, night air quickly greeting them, and a feeling of renewed energy washed over them.

"Y-you destroyed the damned thing!" Gajeel blurted out, reeling back in shock and slight amazement. The expression on the Iron Dragon-Slayer's face eagerly swapped for a smirk, as the realization hit him that Fairy Tail still had three monsters left in this...ordeal. His shifty eyes moved from Gildarts and glided over to the Guild Master, Makarov, marking the second "monster" left. The third? Well, he considered himself as such.

"That guy is full of surprises."

A familiar voice said calmly from within Konoha's still intact cube. Though familiar, the voice took the shinobi of Konoha off guard, especially Tsunade. She flinched, nearly flinging the source of the sentence into the wall. Her kneeling thighs bounced, jerking Kakashi's head after he spoke, but her arms quickly drew him back in.

"Kakashi...are you alright?" She asked first, before any of the other shinobi could say anything themselves. To this, he simply nodded, leading Naruto to pose another question.

"Kakashi-sensei, just how much did you see?"

"Frankly, not enough. As it is right now, I can't see a way past that man's jutsu." The Jonin admitted honestly, pushing himself to a seated position so that his back was perpendicular to his legs. "And I see that I missed Hinata's fight, so I have no idea what her opponent's capable of."

"Summonings." This time it was Shikamaru that spoke. "Her opponent, Lucy Heartfilia, used a unique form of summoning, from what it looked like. They weren't typical shinobi summonings, and were more...human-esque. One even summoned itself of its own free will."

"I see..."

"I'll fill you in completely later, Kakashi." said Tsunade, getting to her feet, relinquished of her job to keep an eye on the veteran shinobi. "For now, we should pay attention. I have no idea of what comes next."

A majority of the shinobi that hadn't participated in the conversation were already locked in on what was going on outside of their containment cell. The rest of the group's attention followed suit. The tournament host had began to stride towards the Fairy Tail gang, moving slowly albeit.

"Gildarts Clive, I don't quite appreciate you vandalism," stated Saburo, his eyes unwavering and cold. There was no smirk on his face. The animosity between he and the powerful Fairy Tail mage was continually growing and it was obvious. And then there was a calm voice that diffused the expanding tension.

"What do you believe that you can do now that there is no contraption holding us within it?" Behind the question stood the tiny figure of Makarov, his hands clasped behind his back. Backing him were the angry expressions of Natsu, Gajeel, and Cana. The spiteful glares of Wendy and Lucy didn't hurt either.

"You should already know the answer to that, Makarov." A smirk pulled at the corner of Saburo's lips, but he forced it away for the time being. "I am not so foolish as to fight you all, therefore, I now have insurance. The eliminated combatants' lives now rest in my hands. I don't believe you would care to throw that away now, would you... Makarov? Tsunade?"

Silence was the response.

"As I thought."

"What do you want, Saburo? Why go through all of this just to watch us fight?" A shout escaped from the mouth of Naruto Uzumaki, but the tone was shaky. Perhaps a hint of anger within the words. The youth's fists were clenched, physical proof that he was indeed livid.

"If you manage to win this little tournament of mine, I'll be more than willing to inform you of my motive."

"You bastard..." Naruto cursed, his fist rushing to meet the wall before him. The thud rang through the containment cell, and it echoed. Or so the blonde originally thought, before noticing the fist parallel to his. Its owner was none other than Konoha's current Hokage, and its impact rocked the cube considerably more than Naruto's had.

"Strong words will not get you out of my prison. I, however, will allow you to roam free for now." This statement was followed by the elevation of Saburo's right arm towards Konoha's containment cell. The orange-tinted cube shimmered in a bright light before slowly fading from existence. The soft kiss of wind pecked at the shinobi's skin, and they felt much more in their element than before. The deep forestry made the area even darker, even though the sun had already retired.

"You will rest for the night, if you so choose to. However, I will not allow you two factions to interact with one another for the time being. No need for you all to become friendly, I prefer the animosity." A smile cracked on Saburo's face.

"What a jerk..." Lucy spat, but not loud enough for the tournament host to hear. Or at least she had hoped so. Seeing as the raven-haired man didn't give off any signs of hearing the taunt, she let out a sigh. Instead, the tall man strode towards the huddle of shinobi, all of their eyes glaring at him. Saburo's focused remained on a single target all the while.

"Tsunade," he called out, stopping in front of said kunoichi. She eyed him with disdain on her face, and waited for him state his business. "I have an inquiry for you as the leader of Konoha. In the coming round, Fairy Tail's Juvia Lockser will need an opponent due to the draw of the first match."

He glanced at the blue-haired woman as he spoke, the woman currently within a conversation with Gajeel.

"Is there a shinobi in particular that you wish for me to retrieve from your era?"

Tsunade's brain quickly began to take in information and process it as she thought. She took note of Saburo's mention of an "era"; perhaps a hint at where they currently were. The Hokage also took her sweet time thinking of an answer for the question that Saburo had posed. Finally finding a satisfactory reply, she spoke.

"I'd prefer not to drag anybody into this situation...but if you insist, I do have a shinobi in mind."

**...**

The evening sunlight fought against the darkskinned man's face, forcing him to shield his eyes from the rays. His gloved hands acted as a rather half-assed deterrent against the light, but it was no biggie to the man. He did have a nice pair of oval-shaped shades on after all.

"Where did Naruto Uzumaki go, Bee-san?" A rather unimportant looking shinobi asked, his voice seeming a bit panicked. To this, the man with white hair seemed slightly taken aback.

"Why're you asking me like I know? He straight up vanished, yo!"

"You were the last person seen with him! We also received word that many of Konoha's elite forces vanished as well, including the Fifth Hokage herself!" A different shinobi who looked awfully similar to the first stressed.

"Even the Hokage's gone missing? Man, you guys need to do a better job, but I'm not dissing!" The muscular shinobi's rhymes were simply met with "what is he talking about"s and "I don't know what he's saying"s. The man referred to as "Bee" didn't seem to bothered by the matter at hand as he started to scribble something in a notepad. It obviously wasn't about the disappearance of the Konoha Shinobi.

"I don't think this is a good time to be rapping, Bee-san! What if the missing people have been captured by enemy forces? The alliance is in danger at this point, and you're really not helping."

"What do you expect me to do, yo? I'm not in a scouting division, fasho!" At this point, darkskinned rapper's tone was growing stressed as well. However, his head shot to the right, noticing something out of place.

Standing upon a thick tree branch, a rather tall man stood proudly. The rest of his feature's could not be seen through the shadows of the leaves however, all but his piercing yellow eyes obscured.

"Who is that muhfucka? Sure ain't nobody I recognize, sucka." Another verse from Bee, however, this one carried a much more serious tone. He tilted his head up in an attempt to get a better angle of sight, his white forehead protector shining brightly.

"He's not wearing the attire of an Alliance member...he must be an enemy, a pawn of Madara!" The first of the fodder shinobi yelled, retrieving a kunai knife from his pouch. The other followed his lead, glaring at the suspicious man.

"I am neither a pawn, nor an enemy of you two." The man declared as he leapt from his post on the tree branch. He landed rather gracefully, his white jacket buttoned only at the neck flapped as the wind pulled at it. The tall figure had hair as dark as obsidian, two strands falling towards his chest on either side of his head. "I am only here for Killer B."

"I don't know if my reputation proceeds me, or if you're just a total creep! But either way, I suggest you back up if you don't want to end up getting smacked up." The newly arrived man suddenly found a very odd weapon aimed at his chest. It was a large weapon concealed entirely in bandages, save for the long handle gripped by the dark-skinned shinobi.

"I did not come for a fight, but if that's what it takes, then I'll oblige." The stranger lifted his right arm high and bent his elbow, reaching for the handle behind his back. However, one of the allied shinobi rushed towards him with apparently little regard for his own life. "Fool."

One swift motion and the attacking shinobi was stopped in his tracks. A well-aimed foot was currently planted in his diaphragm, stopping the man in his tracks. He did manage to mutter something through thick gasps for air; "Who..are you?" The reply was quick and directly to the point.

"I am Saburo."

However, it was unsure if the shinobi had actually heard the answer as he fell over and collapsed as the newly named "Saburo" withdrew his foot. Watching his victim's face hit the floor, Saburo shook his head briefly before changing his focus to the second of the unimportant shinobi duo. He was attempting to save Killer B for last, and the said man knew this.

"I don't know who you are or what you want, but you will be stopped!" The generic hero declaration was said by the measly shinobi. Saburo frowned slightly as he eyed the man, who had begun his charge.

"But I just told you who I am," Saburo replied, his hand suddenly wrapped around the poor shinobi's neck. The struggling man tried to pry the enemy's hand open, but it was completely in vain. As he faded from consciousness, the kunai he held dropped to the ground solemnly. The shinobi quickly followed its lead, dropping to the earth as Saburo let go of his death-grip.

"I see that you're no pushover, fool, ya fool." Killer B admitted, his eyes locked onto the strange man. He was now aware that a rather powerful foe stood before him, yet he felt no fear.

"I'd rather not fight you, and I insist that you just come along with me, no questions asked."

"We both know that ain't happenin' muthafucka!"

"What if I told you that if you come with me, you could rescue the missing Konoha shinobi?" Saburo smirked, hoping that Killer B would gain a bit of interest in that. The swordsman did not respond, and his shades hid his telling eyes from view. Within seconds, a notepad was within Killer B's grasp and he had began to scribble on it while mumbling to himself.

Saburo watched for only a moment with a very rigid face before demanding that Bee "quit that." The dark-haired man's indec finger pointed towards the rapping shinobi before him as if aiming a child's finger gun. With a loud crack, Bee's notepad had been completely vaporized in an instant. For a moment, Killer Bee stood there watching as the charred pages fell through his fingers. His head finally shifted upwards to stare at Saburo behind his obscuring shades.

"Where's your manners, mothafucka?" Killer B cried as he flicked his wrist, a brightly illuminated object flying towards Saburo with the motion. The villain quickly discerned it to be the utensil Bee was using to write, but it seemed to be coated in chakra. Chakra that cracked like lightning.

Saburo leapt backwards, narrowly avoiding the electrifying projectile. However, his opponent wasted no time in spiraling towards his legs in an attempt to dissect him. In an instant, Killer B had two red-hilted blades poised behind Saburo's right knee.

"You move well."

An enormous claymore pierced through the ground where Saburo's leg had been a moment before. The blade was as black as the night, with intricate patterns of golden waves scaling it. Beyond the hilt of the sword, Saburo stood with one foot, his extreme balance evident. "But you cannot compare to me, Killer B."

"That's Jinchūriki-sama to you, fool, ya fool!"

Bee's response was met with a swift motion from Saburo as the tall man leapt upwards as he ejected his broadsword from the earth cleanly. He quickly positioned the blade high above his head before taking a powerful downward slash, yet it was easily dodged by a shinobi of Killer B's caliber. However, the villain's follow-up was so smooth and effortless that it managed to slice clean through Killer B's white scarf on the blade's voyage upwards.

_**"This man is no amateur, B."**_

A booming voice resided in Killer B's head, and it was odd that such a powerful voice could only be heard by a single man. The image of an ox-like demon projected into Bee's mindscape, yet it didn't frighten the man in the least. He was either used to it or expecting the appearance of the creature.

_"I know, his stature ain't just for show." _Killer Bee thought to the beast within his head._ "We need to find out his motives, and if he knows where the Yellow Leader is -"_

Bee's thought process was cut short as another slash aimed for his bare neck, forcing him to retreat a few steps. Though, he switched to an offensive state in a moment's notice, launching one of his blades for Saburo's bicep. The target swiftly elevated his hilt, deflecting the projectile narrowly. Killer B was prepared for this, launching a kick into the opponent's hand. The nightly claymore flew from Saburo's grasp, leaving the man disarmed.

"Tsunade was tactical in choosing you to join her, as I have now seen first hand how skilled you are."

Killer B stopped in his tracks as Saburo spoke again, his words charming the shinobi's interest. He said nothing though, waiting to see if Saburo would attempt to entice him even more. And he did.

"You know, the fate of Konoha's elite could lie in your hands." Saburo started off with a pseudo-ultimatum. He then changed to something that Killer B would know to be true. "And as it seems, without Naruto, Tsunade, Kakashi, and all the other Konoha shinobi, this war will slowly come to a halt with your side's defeat...or at least that is what it seems to me. But what do I know? I'm just a simple tournament host." A malicious grin greeted Bee.

There was a brief moment of silence as Killer B's brain processed the information and weighed his options. Finally he took a step forward and said "let's see then, fool" in a light manner.

_**"Wait B, this could be a trap, you know? He could truly be a pawn of the Masked Man, it's not too far off to assume that."**_ The thunderous voice spoke within his host's consciousness.

_"I know, that's why I gotta do something first. Hopefully it doesn't turn out for the worst."_

The blonde-haired shinobi slowly approached Saburo, cautious all the while. Once in arm's reach of the skilled swordsman, B extended his fist towards him. The villain stared at it inquisitively, not quite knowing what was going on. Though Saburo was often considered a bright man, he was clueless about this. This Killer B man was just...odd.

"Yo." Killer B nodded towards his fist, expectant of the correct response. Once again, Saburo stared blankly at the gloved fist, and realized something must have been lost upon him. Though, Saburo hoped that the fist was some sort of late greeting, and decided to mimic it. The two fists met with a bump, and another silence erupted in the forest.

_**"What's going on B? What can you tell about this guy?"**_

With his fist still locked in a solid pound with Saburo, Killer B thought to his listening beast.

_"This guy gives of a bad vibe, but the shit he was saying weren't lies. I say we go with him and see what he's up to, we could even say a Konoha shinobi or two!"_ B disengaged his bro-fist with the man across from him, and continued out loud: "I'll take the bait, but I don't like to wait."

"I'm glad that you've come to that decision." Saburo sneered, his chin lifting up as he eyed the Jinchūriki. He didn't waste much more time though, placing his cold fingers on Killer B's exposed shoulder. "In an instant, you shall be in an unfamiliar land surrounded by a few familiar faces. I'm sure someone will fill you in on the situation once you're there. Refrain from doing anything reckless before I arrive, please."

Following the lecture, Killer B's figure was shrouded in a bright, celestial light. When his features were replaced with glares, his silhouette slowly disappeared into nothingness. The man deemed "Killer B" was no longer in eyesight, leaving Saburo standing there by himself.

The raven-haired man's eyes slowly glazed over the patch of forestry, scanning for something. He quickly found what he was looking for: his prized blade. He strolled towards the fine piece of weaponry as it was embedded in the trunk of a tree. He gripped the hilt and gave it a solid tug, yanking it from the bark with little resistance.

His eyes soon averted to something else nearby. The resting body of the first shinobi he had clashed with laid in the dirt, his head nestled against a patch of broken branches. Staring at the unconscious figure for a few moments, he decided to let out a bit of his killing intent that had been building up during the tournament. Stomping on the back of the shinobi's neck, a audible snap resonated in the area. Birds fled the area after hearing the disturbing sound.

"Y-you monster!"

Saburo's head slowly turned to face the shaky voice that accused him of being something he did not believe himself to be. His body straightened at the sight of the other shinobi attempting a backwards crawl away from him. The coward did not get far as a sphere of dark blue water encompassed his head, leaving him gasping for air, only to receive a mouthful of liquid. The man drowned slowly, his limbs flopping around uselessly as he wish desperately to escape. The Heaven's were not on the shinobi's side this day it seemed, his lifeless body slumping to the ground.

Saburo Takumi stood in the ambient forest, a strong breeze pushing through the area with great force. He stared off into the direction that the wave of air had originated from. From there, he saw a bolt of lightning push through the Heavens and embrace the ground.

"It looks like there's a storm coming." He could feel a powerful presence approaching quickly as he hoisted his blade over his shoulder. "I've overstayed my welcome anyway..."

Just as quickly as Saburo had appeared within the war-torn realm of shinobi, he was gone.

**...**

"Octopops!" Naruto grinned from ear to ear in his typical manner at the arrival of his friend and mentor. The muscular shinobi now dubbed "Octopops" had just suddenly appeared before the tournament combatants in the same manner that Gildarts had. He waddled towards Konoha, taking note of the Fairy Tail combatants as they murmured amongst themselves.

All of the Konoha shinobi had heard of the Jinchūriki of the Cloud Village, but only a few had every interacted with the man. Might Guy and Naruto instantly got to their feet when the skilled shinobi made his appearance. They weren't quite sure how he had gotten there, but they were sure happy to see his face.

Tsunade finally spoke up, greeting Killer B and proceeding to explain that she had recommended him to join their ranks for the tournament. Not just for his skill, but for the fire he lit under Naruto and the trust he had unnoticeably built with the rest of Konoha during their escapade at the Blood Prison.

Killer B didn't seem too bothered by the situation he was currently in as the member's of Konoha caught him up to speed. He even seemed slightly happy at the chance to kick back and have a few lighthearted battles with the members of Fairy Tail.

"They have a few members that have personally impressed me, and should not be taken lightly," confessed Tsunade sternly. She then went on to give her list of opponent's she deemed dangerous. "That female that Sakura lost against, Makarov, and that Gildarts man."

"I would agree on Makarov and Gildarts, but I say that Shino's opponent was skilled too." Kakashi added his input, his eyes glancing at Gajeel, who slept his low amount of time away. They all needed a rest honestly. Yet the day was so packed with excitement and craziness that it would be hard for most to sleep with the way things were. Thus, the conversation continued.

"I think we all agree that Makarov and Gildarts are their top dogs of what's left of their team, but that one guy...Natsu, I think it was. He caught my interest." A smirk spread across Naruto's face.

"Stop that, Naruto. You're look a little too much like the tournament host with that smirk on your face," joked Shikamaru, poking his long-time friend in the arm. "But in all seriousness, that Makarov man seemed to just be toying with Choji. Who knows what he's truly capable of?" A sigh escaped the black-haired teen's lips.

"That Lucy lady seems to have other tricks up her sleeves as well, but I agree with Tsunade-sama. That Juvia woman also poses a serious threat, as well as almost everybody else on their team." This time it was Sai's input.

"I still can't believe that we lost Neji and Yamato." Tsunade shook her head and stared at the ground, thinking calmly to herself.

"I am sorry, Naruto, but it is now my personal goal to best the one that defeated Neji!" Rock Lee vowed, staring intently at the rosy-haired Dragonslayer he spoke of.

"Whatever you say, Bushy Brows!" Naruto laughed lightly at the challenge that had been inadvertently proposed. "Just get through your next fight first before you go and challenge me, the greatest of all time!" Naruto grunted, lifting his chin high and resting his hands on his hips proudly.

"Enough idle chat. I suggest you all rest before the sun rises."

In their midst, the tournament host declared, loud enough for the Fairy Tail member's to also hear it. The only difference is that a large majority of the Fairies were already in the realm of dreams. None of the shinobi's eyes were even closed.

"In the morning, you shall be...'fed' before continuing on with the tournament. You all have eight more hours before the light breaks through the night. Use this time wisely." With this said, Saburo vanished from the combatants premises. Upon further investigation with his Sharingan eye, Kakashi could perceive the chakra of Saburo in the distance, presumably seated on a thick tree-branch.

"I don't know about you fools, but I'm as tired as a ghoul." Killer B announced while in mid-yawn, his hands straddled to the back of his neck. He quickly plopped on to the ground and faded from consciousness.

"He just got here, yet he's the first one to sleep." Naruto grimaced, holding back the urge to kick the rapper in his back as he slept.

"We should all probably follow his lead," suggested Shikamaru, resting his back on the side of a nearby tree. His eyes closed slowly after glancing around at his surroundings once more.

"Good night, my fellow companions," crowed Might Guy before launching himself into the realm of dreams, his student quickly following his lead to the tee.

"Come on Naruto, Sai. Let's get some rest too." Kakashi smiled lightly at his students, patting them on their backs. With little resistance, they also found comfortable places to make their "beds." Kakashi watched them fall asleep as a father would watch their very son rest. Though, he soon turned his attention to his superior. "I think we should rest as well, Tsunade-sama."

She nodded slowly, though her mind fought against her. She fought her instincts to watch over her shinobi as they slept as well. It was currently a war between her mind and body. Though she gave up her internal struggle as she admitted that she would contribute little to the team if she had gone without rest the whole day. And with that, he conscious found itself drifting away on a sea of dreams.

**...**

The morning came slowly, the sun breaking through the restraints of the night unhurriedly. With the arrival of light also came the awakening of the tournament host, Saburo. It seemed that the man had also decided to sleep through the night despite being surrounded by people that wanted him dead, or severely injured at the least.

"Wake up, cretins." He would howl, and it received the effect that he had hoped for. Resting bodies tossed and turned until their minds forced them up, groaningly nonetheless. As the two separate masses of yawning combatants rose to their feet begrudgingly like the living dead, Saburo stuffed his left hand into a small pocket on his snow-white jacket.

"What are you reaching for, eh?" Gajeel frowned, noticing the minute movement of the tournament host. Saburo stared at the Iron Dragon-slayer briefly before looking down at his hand that hid in his pocket.

"You'll find out shortly, don't worry." He directed towards Gajeel, refusing to remove his hand from the depths of his jacket just yet. He then raised his voice to address the entirety of the warriors in the vicinity. "The Tournament matches will commence in exactly one hour. In the meantime, you will be given something to curb your appetite and have the rest of the time to converse with whom ever you so please."

Following his announcement, a spiky head popped up and voiced the question: "huh, what's going on?" The sleepy voice belonged to Natsu Dragneel, who rubbed his drooping eyes. He was quickly met with a pound to the head by Gajeel, who began to shout obscenities and hurtful things at the young man.

"Idiot! You missed everything he said!" Gajeel continued to torture Natsu with a barrage of punches, much to the dismay of punching bag. Gildarts laughed at the slapstick routine, while Wendy seemed a bit scared, backing away from the beatdown. Makarov let the banter go on for a moment before breaking it up, and proceeded to relay the missed information to Natsu.

It wasn't long before Saburo retracted his hand from his pocket, his hand now full of small, white capsules. He explained them to be pills packed with the needed protein and nutrients for the human body, as well as the feeling of satisfaction that disperses hunger. It took a while before the sixteen tournament participants agreed to digest them, assuming it to be typical villainous ploy. Perhaps poison, or narcotics, or a paralysis-inducing agent, that type of stuff. Seeing the tournament host consume two of them, having the Dragon-slayers smell them, and forcing Shikamaru and Tsunade to inspect them, they finally agreed to take them.

"So who should I be weary of on that squad of theirs?" Gildarts finally spoke up after taking his two pills. It had been plaguing him all night, not knowing what any of the opponent's were capable of. He had only just arrived here, yet he was expected to compete against seemingly skilled foes.

"Definitely that blonde woman," Cana was the first to pipe in, a drop of sweated gliding down her eyebrow as she eyed the Hokage from a distance. "She took out Mirajane."

Gildarts wore an impressed expression as the other members agreed with Cana's acknowledgment. It was then Juvia's turn to speak up.

"Juvia will make that Shikamaru bastard pay for defeating Gray-sama." She grinding her teeth at the thought of dismantling the tactician and drowning him slowly.

"That guy is a skilled strategist, and now he knows all of our abilities for the most part. They might gain an upperhand if he gives his comrades a game-plan to follow." Lucy sighed at the thought. She considered herself pretty smart, but she knew that she paled in comparison to what Shikamaru showed off during his bout.

"My concerns lie with Might Guy, Kakashi Hatake, and Tsunade." Makarov scowled, his arms crossed over his small chest. It was strange to see the Master so serious throughout this whole thing. He had yet to make a single perverted comment.

"Aye, what about you, Natsu? Who do you have your eye on?" Happy asked, poking his partner in the head with his tiny paws. A proverbial fire lit in Natsu's eyes as he thought to himself. Taking a moment to think about all that he had witnessed yesterday, he finally answered with a grin on his face.

"Naruto Uzumaki!"

The exuberant shout was loud, clear, and audible to all. The blonde turned his head and the sound of his name being called out, and noticed that rosy-haired fighter standing proud with a grin on his face. All of the other Fairy Tail members stares burrowed holes into the Uzumaki. It took a moment, but Naruto returned the grin with one of his own, cracking his knuckles as he taunted the Dragon-slayer. Until Natsu ended up face-first in the dirt with Gajeel fist hovering above him, steam seeping from his iron knuckle.

"Back off, Salamander. I want to fight that guy," Gajeel warned the downed ally. He then glared at Naruto before turning his back to the shinobi. Following that, the two factions conversed amongst themselves; discussing strategies, thoughts, and predictions. This continued for a large portion of the remaining hour, until Tsunade finally broke away to speak to the leader of Fairy Tail.

Nobody knew quite what they were talking about, but both of their faces were stern. Saburo watched the conversation more intently than any of the other combatants. There were two things that the man did not want: one, the factions getting too friendly with each other, and two, he absolutely did not want them plotting against him. After five or so minutes of being unable to discern what was being said, Saburo leapt from his spot on a tree branch. He swooped down beside Tsunade and Makarov, nodding to both of them.

"I hate to interrupt your conversation, but it's about time to continue with Round Two of the tournament." By now, the remainder of the two groups had begun to crowd around to listen to the tournament host. The tension that was nonexistent at the start of the morning found its way back into the area like a breeze of air that weighed down on them. They didn't have to wait much longer to find out what was coming next though. "We'll start in Block A once again, with Juvia Lockser versing Killer B, ally of Konoha!"

* * *

><p><strong>Previous Match: Yamato vs. Gildarts <strong>

**Next Match: Killer B vs. Juvia**

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Here you go, guys. A little character development and story progression for you. Not too much interaction between Fairy Tail and Konoha, not yet at least. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, it was actually pretty fun to write this one. I had a lot more freedom in a way.<strong>

**Also, I plan on releasing a new fanfiction sometime during the summer, and it will be much different. If you're interested, just follow me as an author so you'll be alerted when the first chapter hits the site. Hopefully it will be good and won't interfere with the production of Saburo's Tournament.**

**Lastly, if you guys could review this chapter, I'd appreciate it. This chapter's style was different than the tournament matches I've written, so I'd like some feedback. Oh yeah, and if you could go vote on the poll that's on my page, that'd make me a happy camper.**


End file.
